While on a recent vacation with my family I caught a glimpse of my mom playing with my nephew (her first grandson). They weren't doing anything special but they were just playing. And as I watched her swing that spunky 2.5 year old back and forth I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with how happy she was. At that very moment I had a great sense of how special this vacation was to her.
My mom is a simple woman. She is far from someone who lives with a lot of luxuries and she works really hard for what she does have. She has always been frugal and she doesn't have extravagant dreams. She would much rather give of what she has than enjoy it herself. We never went on exotic vacations growing up and she never tried to make things more than what they needed to be because she was raised to be content and want little.
So as I watched her play with her grandson I knew that this was a very big dream come true. She was at Disneyland with her grandson. This trip and this moment was beyond what I think she has ever dreamed for herself. And there is something so beautiful about that.
I am so opposite of this. I am a dreamer. And I have really big dreams. I would rather dream and not have something happen then never dream at all. But this encouraged me to look at my dreams and life experiences differently. My dreams need to be about people and not just about myself. And when those dreams do come true they need to be cherished.
I am grateful for a mom who lived with less. Because honestly, I have a pretty comfortable life. And I am afraid that I might take for granted what I have now if it wasn't modeled to me that it is okay to live with less.
I was raised to not just waste it. Instead I want to make the most of it, give generously with it, and look at each gift as an overwhelmingly beautiful dream come true.
