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What Does It Look Like?
Dear
Girlfriends,
What are the
secrets to living an honorable life? The advice is endless. You can read about them
in books or in magazines. You can watch the discussions on Oprah. You can go to
a psychologist, hire a coach, or learn about them online. You can even chime in
on the topic on blogs, like mine. But have you ever seen what the attributes of an honorable life look like?
On December
7, 2007, I fell in love for the first time in 18 years, and I fell hard. Tears
flooded my eyes and my mind raced as I looked upon the precious face of my
first grandchild, Ava, and considered all she would behold in her lifetime and
the important lessons she would learn. My role as her grandmother (I'm coaching
her to call me Sugar) seemed a daunting
one as I considered all my grandmother had been to me: my teacher; my playmate;
my confidant; my spiritual advisor; my role model. How would I compare to the
greatest Mammaw of all time? (But
don't call me Mammaw - I'm way too hip.)
For the
next several weeks after Ava's birth, I kept a list of the things that I hoped
she would see in her lifetime. Although the list is long, it doesn't include
Disney World, Miley Cyrus, or the shoe department at Niemen's.
No. My list includes intangibles; intangibles that due to a change in our
social fabric, our busy family lifestyles, or our lack of mindfulness or creativity,
we fail to model for our children and grandchildren. And, unfortunately, due to
the fact that many of us were raised in not-so-perfect households, these are some
of the same intangibles that were not modeled for us.
So what are
some of the things on my list that I want Ava to see?
Timeless
Honor
Selfless
Devotion
Genuine
Respect
Work/life
Balance
Considerate
Inclusion
Meaningful
Traditions
Mindful
Appreciation
Working
Friendships
Marriage
Partnerships
Successful
Divorce
Successful divorce? Yep. There's a lesson here for all
of us.
Because children
are always watching (and because teenagers never listen), we know for a fact
that our actions speak louder than words. So let's begin the important discussion
as to how we, as sisters, aunts, godmothers, mothers, grandmothers, and
great-grandmothers, can model an honorable life for our next generation.
Standing in
some very big Mammaw shoes,
Ellen, a.k.a.
Sugar
Posted by Ellen on May 21, 2008 11:32 AM
| Category: What Does It Look Like?
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