As a great deal of people prepare for the solar eclipse today, I will be getting ready to see something equally amazing. Thankfully, what I’m planning on experiencing only happens on a very rare occasion as well.
I will get to witness my mother returning home from the hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Several days ago I received a call from my brother very early in the morning. It was scary news. My mother was in the ER and there was some question as to whether she was going to survive the next couple of hours.
A flood of thoughts, emotions and memories quickly overwhelmed me.
Almost miraculously, though, within a few hours, I received word that she was sitting up and talking up a storm…without any intubation tubes. She was doing well.
It was surreal.
As I began to make plans for when I should make the trip from Chicago to St. Paul to be with my mom and my family, my brother reassured me that, whenever I decided to come, I was going to make a difference.
It’s amazing what those words did for me.
They empowered me. They made me feel great. They gave me a sense of purpose. They changed my whole demeanor.
It wasn’t that I could make a difference, but that I was going to make one – regardless of the extent of my stay.
Hearing it made me want to arrive sooner and stay longer.
When you’re sure that you’re going to make a difference, it changes the game. It changes your perspective.
You are going to make a difference today. Long after the moon passes between the earth and the sun, your light will continue to shine. Don’t let anything eclipse (get in the way of) that.
Shine on!