A Different Point of View

After my mom passed away last year, my sister and I went through all of her possessions, earmarking those that would be donated and those that would be given to other family members. The one thing that I didn't let go of was her pair of glasses. I was going to donate them through a program run by LensCrafters, where they would be given to someone who needed them.

I couldn't do it. They sat on a ledge by my front door for weeks. One day, I had misplaced my own glasses and without thinking, picked up Mom's pair from the ledge and put them on. The world looked entirely different to me while wearing them. At that moment, I realized a new truth - intellectually, I had understood that people view things from different perspectives - but it now became a visceral understanding that I "got" at a deep level. Mom's glasses have a permanent home on the ledge; I see them and remember that truth every day.

Today was my Geology lab.....it's a capstone course, and not too much fun. The good part is that I have great lab partners - young women in their 20's that I'd met in previous classes - we work well together as a team. I was touched when one of my partners taped together some papers for me for a project....she noticed that my hands aren't as nimble as I'd like them to be. I'm the one who is used to doing for others - not being "done for"! When I thanked her, my other partner joked, "Well, we've been taught to respect our elders!" A couple of years ago, that remark would have really stung. Today, it didn't....because it's the truth! I am their elder, they do respect me, but they don't diminish me. After class, I thanked them for their help - they were surprised and spoke about how much I helped them! Teamwork is just that.... each member brings their own individual strengths to the table in order to create the synergy that results in the best possible outcome for the group. That pair of glasses continues to remind me to see things through other's eyes.

Although my mom is no longer here, she continues to teach me....I just love her glasses! Thank you, Momma!