Remembering Mother...

Although all the pictures of my mother are packed away on this Mother’s Day, I wanted to pause and reflect upon the woman who singularly was the most influential person in my life. 

My mother was loving but stern; eccentric but passionate; kind but firm; and gentle but strong.  I truly never saw her act vengeful or mean.  Despite the mistakes I made, she was not prone to enacting feelings of guilt.  In so doing I never had to carry a lot of emotional baggage.  When she took me to the library and let me loose to peruse the aisles of books, she unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly) set my spirit free.  She knew when to watch over me and when to let me go—giving wings to my thoughts and imagination.  She believed words  and weaving them correctly into sentences was way more powerful than any fist.  She taught me to think before acting, so I learned to embrace mindfulness and compassion for life itself.  She modeled how to be an observer and in so doing I learned not to overreact. 

So, here’s to you, Winifred Christine Stainbrook Etgen, the quintessential mother.  You were and continue to be the perfect mother for me.