What Kind of Mama?

We love ourselves some Stephen Colbert in our house.  Perhaps some may say our political leanings veer towards the Left of the Right and perhaps some may say that this is putting in lightly.  But even if that weren’t true, we would still love Colbert.  He’s just funny.

I turned on last night’s episode to see him eulogize his mother who passed away last week at 93 years old.  He spoke of her love for her children, the many ways she made her love known to them, and some of the parts of her that made him smile.

And it got me thinking about the admonition to begin with the end in mind — live your days focused on where you want to end up rather than where you are.  And it made me wonder what I want my girls to say about me one day when they are left to face their tomorrow without me.

I want them to say they felt my love.  I want them to have fond memories of tight embraces, lasting cuddles, and plentiful kisses.

I want them to say from me they learned grace and forgiveness.  They learned to forgive others because I forgave them and they learned to forgive themselves because they saw me offering myself grace.

I want them to say that I lived life passionately.  That I was passionate about their lives and their interests and my own life and my own interests.

I want them to say that I lived fearlessly even though, due to my anxiety, a lot of my life is mired by fear.

I want them to sat that I stood back up.  Every single time.

I want them to be able to say that I faced life’s challenges with a willfull spirit and a determined stance.  I want them to be able to say that I took the blessings I was given and I magnified them and I shared them and I used them to make the world a better place.

I want them to be able to say that imperfect though I may be, two things were true: I showed up and I loved.

Let’s hope I have many more years to become the type of woman who is worthy of such words.

And Mr. Colbert, your mother was a lucky woman to be remembered in such a classy way.