Passing On A Great Legacy
Today would have been my mother's 85th birthday. Unfortunately for the world, she did not make it to her 52nd here on earth. I was 12 when she died.
She was a great lady. She was the youngest girl of 7 children, studied music at Peabody, sang and acted in many performances, worked at Bethlehem Steel, was engaged several times before marrying my dad, sang in the church choir, was a military wife and mother of 4. She "followed the Gypsy" (my Army dad) around the world after they were married. While all of her family stayed in and around Baltimore, my mother lived in Mexico, Chicago, Germany, several towns in Virginia, though Baltimore was always home.
My Mom was a devout Catholic, but more than that, she had a faith in God unlike many I have ever seen. She prayed for signs from special Saints to know that she was on the right path. She didn't just preach her faith, she lived it. Every Day.
I do all I can to live up to my memory of my mom. I have tried to teach my son's and my daughter many of the things that my mom taught me. I know that tomorrow is not promised, so I do my best to instill the faith, honor and charity my mom instilled in me. We make special recipes that were my mom's, and we laugh a lot. We sing around the house and in the car, play games on road trips (even if it's just a trip to the store!), we go to Church and we read out loud. We share and enjoy family game night or just getting together with loved ones.
One of the biggest impressions I have of my mom was her giving spirit. If she could give to those less fortunate, she would. We were certainly not rich by any standards, a family of 6 on an enlisted soldiers pay...but somehow, she always found ways to help.
It is fitting today that:
- My daughter and her friend drew pictures on lunch bags that we fill and donate to a local homeless shelter on the first Tuesday of each month. We are part of a small group of volunteers in our area.
- We collected Easter cards and letters from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders in Sydney's school to send to St. Monica's Orphanage (www.mffo.org), a home for 44 orphaned children outside of Nairobi in Baltimore, an organization I am honored to be a part!
- I also was blessed to support to an organization who will have ten EFT practitioners going to the Philippines from April 21st through May 12, to tap with 10,000 kids whose lives were impacted by a major typhoon last November. If you would like to learn more about the work, click here.
I am not telling you this to brag about all that I do. I am telling you this in such loving, gratefulness to the special woman I only got to spend a short time with, but who impacted me so deeply and continues to impact those who knew her, and so many more who didn't.
I am honored to pass on a great legacy of love. I hope that, in honor of my mom's 85th birthday, you will take a moment to think about the legacy you want to leave behind. If you choose, please feel free to make a donation, share a hug or a smile with someone in need to help me to continue to share her legacy!
Many blessings!
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