This was no ordinary sending-off; you see, we lived overseas. Our friends knew that they wouldn't be able to easily or cheaply send an overnight care package full of fresh-baked cookies. They knew that their daughter couldn't drive home over a weekend for hugs and R&R.
Their daughter was (and is) a very bright and well-rounded gal. I watched as my friend, the mom, cast a vision for her daughter. That vision, knowing her daughter well, included something like this: "What kind of academic goals have you set for yourself?" (She listened.) And then she said, "your dad and I want you to know what our academic vision is for you-- and that includes making the Dean's List every semester." (Now, remember, they knew their daughter. This isn't a one-size-fits-all goal, but they knew that for her, this was a reasonable challenge.)
I think back to that sometimes, as a parent, and as a woman.
What kind of vision do I need to be casting for myself?
There is a huge difference, and we all see it, between an 80-year-old woman who has spent her life scowling and criticizing and grumping and an 80-year-old woman who has passed her days with humility and joy and gratitude.
Have you noticed it? Have you seen the wrinkles around the eyes of a woman who has spent her life smiling and laughing? They contrast sharply with the woman with deep furrows of despair from having grumbled and complained her way through the decades.
Have you noticed it? Have you seen the wrinkles around the eyes of a woman who has spent her life smiling and laughing? They contrast sharply with the woman with deep furrows of despair from having grumbled and complained her way through the decades.
If I am like that daughter, being sent off into this next year of life, what vision am I taking on? Whose vision am I stretching to meet?
What kinds of qualities do you want to possess by the time you are 80?
What are you doing now to achieve those qualities in your life & heart?
4 comments:
My Oma just turned 80 this month so this is a very timely encouragement for me to think on now, thank you.
Littlelumen
My Oma just turned 80 this month so this is a very timely encouragement for me to think on now, thank you.
Littlelumen
My Oma just turned 80 this month. Thankyou for a timely encouragement to run the race with the goal in mind!
My grandmother passed away at age 85, almost 5 years ago. I want to be exactly like her at age 80.
She was playful, with an inner childlike quality that made her the favorite person of my children.
She knew how to make you feel at home...good food, lots of it, your favorite soft drink in the frig, warm plates for your pancakes, and clean sheets on the bed.
She never displayed an angry spirit; in fact, never in my life did I see her angry. I'm sure she GOT angry. But we never saw that.
And she was so giving; if she had something and you liked it, wanted it or needed it, it was yours. No arguments.
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