I took my daughters to the sea so that they could see it. As I stood in the sand and watched them frolic, I had no sense of regret for any decision I had ever made in my life. Could I even be standing here? I thought. With each wave came a recognition that all was so very well. All but the tiniest of my fears washing away with the tide. It is that tiny vibration/belief that holds me in resistance to a full embracing of myself. At one point, it had been huge. In time, it will be so far removed from me that perhaps only the sea at night standing in its salty air will faintly remind me of it. I want to raise empowered women who love themselves. I want to guide them in defining themselves rather than the world doing it. I thought on that frequently during our trip. When I give great thought to something, the Universe is always kind enough to reflect it back to me. So, I was not surprised when I boarded the plane home that I found myself sitting next to a very young mother.
It was open seating and my daughters had found seats together leaving me to fend for myself. I looked around and knew the alpha-male was out of the question and the fellow that looked like a potential snorer wasn't very alluring, either. You can sit by me. I look down to see a very pretty Mexican girl (which I partly am). She's holding a baby no more than three months old. As I sit, she asks me if I have children and I laugh saying I have many. She tells me I must have started very young and, of course, I immediately adore her. I tell her I was 21 and that I have a daughter that is 21. She tells me that I'm her mother's age and that she is 17. She doesn't seem 17 so I know she has a story. I know that what she holds in her arms is the most important thing to her -- Unconditional Love. And before she even begins her story, I know that she has never really known it until this beautiful creature came into her world.
I won't share her entire story here except to say she and I were meant to sit together that day. We could relate. I could cast her into the future while she told of concerns and fears that I had in the past which, in turn, allowed me to offer up appreciation over and over again for my Now. By the end of our flight, we had both given each other a wonderful sense of hope.
With all my heart I believe, besides your love, the greatest gift you can give to another is a belief in their success. It's a wonderful gift to give to yourself, too, as I've recently discovered.