A little follow-up to Raised by Women

On my window seal at work, I have this picture of my grandparents. As I briefly mentioned in my post earlier this week (Raised by Women...), I was raised by women - specifically my grandmother, Aunt Linda and Aunt Sally. My grandmother loved me tremendously and spent the first 13 years of my life being a dedicated parent and my loving advocate. My grandparents were imperfect people, as we all are, but they, in their own way, loved each other and they loved me. They adopted me at the age of seven and I had the privilege of being part of their lives until the end. I will always carry with me the memories of giving my grandmother what would be my last kiss goodbye to her on that fateful school morning in 1998 and holding my grandfather's hand as he took his last breath in 2010. Yes, sometimes those memories can be painful, but I am lucky - I am lucky that I got to say goodbye and that I have those memories and so many more.

Life experiences like these help to shape the people we become. One of my all time favorite quotes is by William Shakespeare "We know what we are, but not what we may be." To me this quote captures the living experience - that each moment of our lives helps to shape the person we don't even know yet. For me, the experiences of love and loss taught me the value of people and enjoying the moments.

I have been truly blessed to have a life full of amazing people - some of whom I continue to share my life with, others who have come and gone, and some I am sure I have yet to meet. What I've learned is that we should spend more time looking for the good in people than the bad. That we should embrace each new encounter and remember that life's touch is reciprocal, meaning that every person I meet has an impact on my life and vice versa.

That all being said, don't be afraid to love somebody and I am not just talking about the cupid type of love - I am also talking about friendship - making your own family from those you meet. Don't be afraid to tell people how you feel and to simply enjoy the moments together - sometimes they go by all too fast. And if there is one thing that I have learned being raised by women, it is the unconditional love that mothers give to children. And that has made me a better person, a strong believer in fairness and equality, and yes, I'll admit it sometimes even a sentimentalist.

So go out there and show somebody some love today, it's the best way to start the weekend. :)