Saturdays were the most special of days each week for mother and son. They always involved time and talk together, a game of gin, a bite to eat and faithfully watching the afternoon cooking shows on PBS, especially those with chefs Lidia Bastianich and Jacques Pepin, the son remembers.

"She was just everything. She was so kind," he says. "Her smile. She saw good in everyone. There was never a bad word. Sometimes I would joke with her that she'd probably invite Charles Manson in for coffee." These recent weekends and today, the first Mother's Day without her, make the loss of Clara Calvanese Sarno on April 20 at the age of 84even more poignant for those who loved her, especially her son, Domenic J. Sarno.