Before I get started on last week's vacation in Michigan, I want to go back to Christmas Day when we were at Donica's mom's. Prior to the arrival of the others, I asked Donica to please take a picture of me with her mom, which she did:
This is not my own mother, who passed away 10 years ago. She's Donica's, and therefore is my mother-in-law, only 5 years my senior. However, I don't think of her as my sister or friend. She's the only mother I now have and I proudly call her Mom.
Every time we go see her in south Atlanta, twice a month, I always tell Donica that I love her to death! So on Christmas Day, I started asking myself Why? I love her because she's kind, generous, quiet, calm, slow to speak, expansive in Gemini gifts and talents, radiant, quick to smile (midst much heartache), stylish, a gourmet cook, a lover of nature, cats and dogs. And did I say generous?! Oh, and she's a fellow redhead!
Akin to "Love your neighbor as yourself," and how in the world can you love your neighbor if you don't first love yourself (!), I started thinking about how much I want to be all these good qualities I see in Mom. And would I then love myself to death?
It sounds weird, I know, but we didn't hear much growing up in my preacher-dad's home about loving ourselves. That was too me-centered; too selfish. It was always about loving our neighbor. Never ourselves.
I'm thinking Mom's best Christmas gift to me this year was mirroring me back to myself. I do have some of her qualities but not all of them. Nor am I necessarily meant to, I suppose. But in looking at her, I want to love and grow into who I really am and can be. And maybe then I can mirror someone else to themself (like my own daughter). A wonderful cycle of loving ourselves so we can truly love others.
My Mother, Myself. I like that, Mom. I love you to death.
Every time we go see her in south Atlanta, twice a month, I always tell Donica that I love her to death! So on Christmas Day, I started asking myself Why? I love her because she's kind, generous, quiet, calm, slow to speak, expansive in Gemini gifts and talents, radiant, quick to smile (midst much heartache), stylish, a gourmet cook, a lover of nature, cats and dogs. And did I say generous?! Oh, and she's a fellow redhead!
Akin to "Love your neighbor as yourself," and how in the world can you love your neighbor if you don't first love yourself (!), I started thinking about how much I want to be all these good qualities I see in Mom. And would I then love myself to death?
It sounds weird, I know, but we didn't hear much growing up in my preacher-dad's home about loving ourselves. That was too me-centered; too selfish. It was always about loving our neighbor. Never ourselves.
I'm thinking Mom's best Christmas gift to me this year was mirroring me back to myself. I do have some of her qualities but not all of them. Nor am I necessarily meant to, I suppose. But in looking at her, I want to love and grow into who I really am and can be. And maybe then I can mirror someone else to themself (like my own daughter). A wonderful cycle of loving ourselves so we can truly love others.
My Mother, Myself. I like that, Mom. I love you to death.
