“Roots and Wings”.
That’s what my mother always said she wanted to raise my brothers and sister with.
Yesterday I shared how my Dad exemplifies what it meant to Grow Roots.
Today I’ll share how I believe my Mom has shown what it means to learn to fly.
If ‘Roots’ is about loving where you are, ‘Wings’ is about believing in what it could be and seeing the best in what it is.
One memory my mom made that I didn’t really understand the impact of until years after I graduated high school was when she bought a small commercial building in downtown Edgewood.
She eventually decided to start her own circuit fitness business (think Curves) called ‘Go Figure’. The name was the perfect double entendre because she never thought she’d be on this sort of entrepreneurial path, but here she was.
Refurbishing the entire building, moving walls, refinishing the bathroom, buying equipment, hiring employees, taking clients. It was a bold move that she felt called to do and while it didn’t last long, it serves as just one example of many for the way my mom dreams big, goes for it, and learns from the experience.
My mother is the most hopeful person I’ve ever met. She’s never met a cloud she couldn’t find a silver lining in. Faith has carried her through every perceived ‘failure’ and she won’t let a dark moment last long without speaking about the light at the end of a tunnel.
She’s taught me that metaphorical wings can be used to fly, but even if we are confined to the ground, are there for us for balance and a nurturing spirit.
P.S.
Here's a few quotes from her 😊:
"No matter where you go- there you are! Make the best of it!”
"Don't say anything ABOUT someone that you wouldn't say TO them!"
"Always, All Ways, Be Kind"