When I Grow Up.…

I’m fortunate enough to be associated or related to a lot of people I would love to be like when I grow up.  The one that’s been on my mind lately is an aunt of mine named, Karen.  Karen passed away about 5 years ago from brain cancer.  It was one of those deaths that broke your heart.  Some deaths make sense to me, and some don’t.  Hers was one that didn’t make sense to me.  She and her sweet husband have 8 kids, the oldest was in her early 30’s and the youngest was still in high school.  Anyway, one of their sons is getting married soon and I went to the bridal shower for his soon-to-be wife.   He was there too, which was great.  It was so fun to see the two of them together and see how in love they are and how great they are for each other and how happy they are.   My uncle was also there and after this sweet couple opened their gifts, my uncle stood up to present them with some extraordinary gifts.   Gifts that Karen bought before she even knew she was sick.  I think he said when their oldest child got married, she zeroed in on exactly what it was she wanted to bestow on them at such a significant milestone and then bought 8 of everything. 

These gifts weren’t fine china or embroidered kitchen towels, these gifts were much more significant than that.  My uncle explained how important it was to Karen to pass along her values to her children.  They had carefully and I’m sure, prayerfully, selected things like a book from a parenting class they attended 3 times when they were in the throes of parenting their 8 kids, an artist's rendition of the Salt Lake Temple,  a special framed quote, a favorite book about marriage, etc. 

Frankly, it blew my mind.  There were all these things, many of them wrapped by Karen perhaps before my cousin had even been on his first date.  Here was a mother, who before she knew her life would be cut short, knew what mattered to her and what she wanted to matter to her kids.  She boiled her priorities down to the most essential and then made sure she would be able to gift each one of her treasured children and their spouses with all of what made her happy in hopes of their happiness.   I watched in awe as this beautiful bride-to-be, who never on earth met Karen, was being given the gift of Karen.  It was beautiful and so inspiring.  I want to be that kind of mother.

When I grow up, I’d love to be more like Karen.