I used to call my mother the human calendar, so comprehensive was her memory. My parents have always lived with my family and many years ago, when my children were little, my mother watched them for me while I met with clients in our home, and kept track of all the minutiae of our lives. She remembered not just my appointments but every Crazy Hair and Pajama Day at my children’s school, not to mention all their extra-curricular activities. She was my talking calendar and saved me more times than I can count.