[email protected]

In a message dated 8/14/2004 3:58:00 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
For me, after watching Laurie follow her own path for 18
years, it was easy to be detached about her choices. I knew her well
enough to know that every decision she made would be right for her
at that time or she'd merge into a new path if it wasn't. I really
had no expectations, other than for her to be happy. When she
started fretting in her late teens about what she was going to do
with the rest of her life, I explained to her that the restlessness
she was feeling was her body/mind/soul becoming aware of the need
for a change and b/m/s were all searching for what exactly that
change would be.

I never had the nagging doubts. I loved it when her mind would hear
a new idea (to her) and she'd immerse herself in learning about it.
She'd know right where she stood on the idea and just how much of
the idea to adopt for herself. She often took it further than it had
been taken and get really involved. Hence her title as the Resident
Radical at college. She was on the news picketing places more than a
few times. :-)

I took her decisions about what "to do" with her life seriously and
supported her in those decisions. Sometimes she stuck with them for
awhile and at other times she decided rather quickly that it wasn't
such a great choice for her. She always discusses her plans with me
and she always gets my support. That way she feels free to drop them
and not worry about mom getting all weird about it. She's watched me
change paths several times during her lifetime and she knows that
there are many paths to choose from that will be right for her at
different times in her life.

I'm not content to stay in one place in my life for very long. I go
from one thing to the other, quitting when it's not right for me and
going on to something else...with no apologies. I enjoy my life and
I feel no guilt about not finishing the pottery class (for instance)
when it made my wrists hurt. My parents have belittled my choices as
far back as I can remember. I made a vow to never do that to Laurie.
***Thank you so much for this post, Valerie! It is definitely a keeper!


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