I tried to write this yesterday, but was thwarted by a longing for my Mom. This may sound silly to some, but let me explain.
We lost mom in 2011 at 82 years old, sort of out of the blue. She was living on her own and thriving, but just sort of slipped away from us in a hurry. My dad had passed the year before, and I truly believe, that after 63 years of marriage to the guy, she just longed for his company again and let herself go to him.
Now, about my amazing mom. Mom had an unusual gift in parenting her children. She was able to see past the surface, and look inside each child and find that one spot. That one spot that meant everything to us. For example, when I was looking at colleges and my future, she caught me off guard with a comment one day in the kitchen. I was walking the path of just going to college to get a degree, with no direction at all. As I was cooking some chili from scratch, she looked at me and said, "have you ever thought about culinary school? You love to eat, why not do something you really enjoy?"
I know some of you look at that statement and are saying, "Umm, I think she was making a larger statement here." At first, that's what I kind of thought, too. But as we talked, I could see that she was sincere in her query, and that she had noticed something about me that I hadn't. I not only loved to eat, but I enjoyed the creativity involved in building something from a bunch of smaller pieces. Eventually, I would buy a restaurant and let that love release to the people I served everyday. While that didn't pan out as intended, (pun intended), to this day I love to cook a variety of dishes. Some of my recent creations include, venison heart, cow stomach and a beautiful beef liver! Not all in the same setting, praise the Lord.
While I didn't heed her advice about culinary school, the conversation gave me a perspective on life that I relish today(pun also intended). This perspective that drives us, what really makes us love life, may not be something we see for ourselves. We have to allow others to notice and bring it out in us. In a million years, I never thought I would enjoy working with elementary students. But a friend of mine gave me that perspective recently with a comment she made. She said, "You have a great ability to 'be present' for kids. You make them feel that they are the only thing that you are about in the time you share with them." Thanks Genie!
So, while my mom really lived this and modeled this for her kids, I think we all have these ideas about people we are close to everyday. Don't let this information sit in the back of your head any longer. When you see a gift in someone, share it with them! Let them know that they are blessed with something that others may not see, and that they should 'let it out'.
I would be terribly remiss if I didn't mention my wife in this post as well. She had a very special relationship with my folks. My mom was a mentor to Bren over the span of our relationship, and Bren loved the fact that she was important to her. I still joke that I think my parents actually liked her more than me. Brenda has been an incredible mom to our boys, and to countless children that she has touched as well.
So today, look deep into your relationship with your mom, and remember the one thing that she did that made you feel like the only one in the universe. Then go be that example to someone who you believe in. That's what mom would do.
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