I read a letter from a dying 27 year old last week (https://www.boredpanda.com/27-year-old-cancer-dying-letter-holly-butcher/) and it really resonated with me. What the heck am I worrying about? None of it, NONE of it matters when you really think about it. I am a detail person. I sweat over every last detail. For instance, when my daughter nonchalantly told me she invited a few people over to take pictures in front of the barn before prom. I immediately jumped into planning mode and then asked how many people she thought would be coming over so I could plan drinks and appetizers and maybe some cute little keepsakes for them. “I don’t know, maybe a hundred.” A HUNDRED???? Of course now I’m panicked thinking about the yard and the flower beds and the food…lots of food! For a few days all I could process was the to do list and “stuff.”  Then I read Holly’s letter and realized, none of that matters. What matters is that my daughter loves her little barn enough to invite her entire grade over to share it. What matters is that we will share a milestone moment with lots of other parents ushering our babies off to their first prom. What matters is that we have this moment to share.

Today is my mother’s birthday. She is a do-er, a list maker and a detail person too. She has faced so much in her lifetime and when push came to shove, she focused on what mattered most and let the other stuff slide. I am thankful I got to spend the morning with her on her birthday. There were 1,000 other things on my list today, but not one of them as important as spending time with my favorite person on earth.

I made this glass candle votive for her with the Serenity prayer painted in her own handwriting. It’s a prayer that has taken her out some dark places and she lights a candle every year to celebrate. Happy birthday to one that matters most.