Dear Mom,
You were a mother, a daughter, a wife, a friend, and an educator. You were so many things to so many people. You were the best elementary school principal that probably ever existed (I mean, they dedicated a library to you, for goodness sake!), and you are a huge reason I am an avid reader and majored in English in college. You inspire me to turn the page, to embrace new chapters, and to write my own story.
Most importantly, though, you were my mom. People say that you don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it. It’s true, especially when you lose someone you weren’t expecting to. You were so close to the end. You finished chemotherapy for Stage I breast cancer and were only a few sessions away from finishing radiation. You were back at work, and you seemed so happy. I watched you fight so hard. The cancer was gone, and we thought we were in the clear, but in the end, your heart just couldn’t do it anymore.
One thing I admire most about you was your ability to keep it together. You never complained that it was too much, and you were constantly pushing yourself to achieve bigger and better things. Everything you did at work was in an effort to create a positive and loving environment for your students. Everything you did at home was to create the same environment for my dad and me.
You may not be here to push me anymore, but that does not mean you don’t inspire me to do incredible things on a daily basis. Success to me is not measured by how many people know your name but by what the people who do know your name have to say about you. Making an impact does not have to affect the world. Sometimes doing good starts in a community, and you did just that at your school.
You inspire me to care enough of what people think about me to be a good person, but also to keep in mind that there are always going to be people that don’t like you or don’t agree with your decisions. As a woman who was respected by so many, you inspired me to demand that same respect from my peers.
But perhaps your most inspiring characteristic was your strength. I can hardly remember you taking any time off of work, not because you couldn’t, but because you didn’t want to. Even in sickness, all you wanted to do was go back to work and go back to helping others.
I watched you struggle, but I also watched you succeed. Although you lost a battle, that does not mean you were defeated. You affected more people in one year than most do in their entire lifetime, and that is something to aim for.
Most people who know me know that I love words. I love reading, writing, and editing. Words are basically my life, but I still find it difficult to put you into words, mom. And that is probably the biggest inspiration that you could have given me. Because of you, I strive to be someone that cannot be described simply in words.
Love,
Your Daughter
P.S. This article is a part of a special FabFitFun content series in partnership with Pearl xChange in an effort to empower and uplift women. Join our Editor in Chief, Katie Kitchens, along with Nicole Richie and other inspiring women on Nov. 5 in West Hollywood for the “Pearls of My Life” Panel where they’ll be sharing their own stories. Find more information here.
