One of my favorite conversations with my mom went something like this:
Mom: “I wish you would’ve listened to me.”
Me: “I know. Me too.”
Mom: “But you had to go through it to learn from it.”
Me: “I know.”
Mom: “I just wish you could’ve learned from it when you watched me go through it.”
Me: “I know. Me too.”
Here’s my favorite part: We both smiled at each other, with loving eyes that held the stories that made us who we are today.
A message to my daughters: no matter what I say, you will do what I do. I know this. Yet, I stumble. My feet, my hands, my mouth, my thoughts will choose the wrong path sometimes.
I always have, and always will, apologize. You always have, and hopefully always will, forgive.
I’ll never forget the day that my daughter begged me to change my mind. She knew me better than I did.
My daughter saw things that I couldn’t see, because I was zooming past the red flags that were staring me in the face. Eyes wide open, yet forced shut with ignorance.
I lost her trust that day.
Thankfully, the bad decision I made didn’t last very long.
A year later, we revisited the conversation my mother and I had previously…
My daughter: “I wish you would’ve listened to me.”
Me: “I know. Me too.”
My daughter: “But you had to go through it to learn from it.”
Me: “I know.”
My daughter: “I will listen to my future daughter if she ever begs me to change my mind.”
Me: “I hope so.”
Favorite part: the smile, with loving eyes that tell the stories of who we are today.
Overcoming Obstacles 