This has got to be one of the sweetest stories I've read in a really long time, and with Mother's Day just around the corner, it feels very fitting to share:Eulalia Corrigan is never given enough time to miss her children.
They pop up at her door night after night, every single day of the year.
The 88-year-old mother of 13 unwittingly gave birth to quite a batch of frequent future visitors during her long, loving marriage to Herbert Corrigan. Eulalia, who grew up in Bideford, P.E.I., went on to live on a mixed farm in Pleasant Grove with her husband where she churned butter and cared for her bountiful brood.
When Herbert was moved to the Beach Grove Home in Charlottetown in 2004, Eulalia would visit daily without fail. Her children would also take turns popping in on Pop at the nursing home.
With Herbert’s death in 2006 leaving Eulalia crushed, her children saw the need to keep her company.
“Well, Mom was awful lonely when Dad died,’’ Bernie Corrigan said in explaining why she and her siblings made a pact to pound a regular path to mom’s home.
So day after day after day, for the past four years, Eulalia has been opening her door to the welcoming sight of one of her children coming to pay a scheduled visit — yes, literally a scheduled visit.
The names of her 11 children currently living on P.E.I. — one, Elayne Kirkwood, lives in B.C. and another, Herbie Corrigan lives in New Brunswick — appear on a monthly schedule with each assigned a day to visit mom.
If there is a time conflict, the siblings simply trade a day among themselves.
A typical visit consists of arriving with dinner for Eulalia, some television viewing, and conversation.
Talk, notes Eulalia, naturally centres on family life with plenty of fond reminiscing about the late Herbert Corrigan.
“They were crazy about their father,’’ she said.
Eulalia is filled with warm appreciation for being on the receiving end of so much love and attention from her children.
“Oh it means everything in the world to me. Oh I really enjoy it. I just watch for them to come.’’Still active (she has her own treadmill and exercise bike) but hard of hearing, Eulalia knows she is one pampered mom. Her neighbours regularly remark on her good fortune of having a daily visit from one of her children.
“It’s Mother’s Day every day,’’ she said, gushing with pride. “They’re great family. I couldn’t say a word bad.’’
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