All That We Are Meant To Be

Two of the biggest compliments I've ever received in my life have come from my children.

One came from my oldest son when I picked him up from break his first year in college. We were driving home, catching up on life and all that was happening at home when out of the blue he said, "Mom-- I read your blog." I was pleasantly surprised, and also a little shocked because at the time I wasn't even sure he knew I had a blog. 

"I like it, " he said. "When I read it, it makes me feel like I'm talking to you."

Biggest compliment ever for me so far about my writing. That is exactly how I want people to feel when they read one of my posts, I want them to feel like we are having a conversation.

The other one was from my almost daughter just this past summer. She had left for her position as a camp counselor in early June, right after we'd had a big fight and she'd moved out. Communication with her had been spotty for the two weeks after the blow up, and I was still feeling incredibly guilty for losing my temper. Randomly one day I got a text from her that said: First, I miss you and second, you are still my conscience in most things I do.

I cannot tell you how good that made me feel. I was relieved that losing my temper hadn't undone all the forward motion I had made, and happy to know that she still felt connected enough to me to care what I thought.

You might be thinking that those are odd choices for me to call out as my two best compliments, and you could be right.

But what matters most to me is what those closest to me think. It is through their eyes I gauge if I am being perceived by the world for who I really am. My kids sort of "have" to love me, but they do get a choice in who they allow to impact them. It makes me over the moon happy to know that my son thinks my writing reaches him in my authentic voice, and that my daughter is slowly being shaped by the life lessons and perspectives I share with her.

Unfortunately many of us see ourselves differently than the world around us does. We even fool ourselves into thinking we are something we are not. I'm working hard to see myself for who I am; the good, and the not-so-good. Accepting who and what we really are is the only way we can become all that we are meant to be.