Here's how the text message concluded:
Duchess: "I'm applying to volunteer at the children's rehab hospital in the city - I think it 'd be cool to hang with kids who are dealing with things that I went through. Is it okay if I list you as a personal reference?"
Me: "Of course! That's very kewl, Duchess. Very kewl."
Duchess: "Tanks mommawitch!"
The significance of this text to me is multi-faceted - but I will try to do it justice.
Aside from giving back, which is huge in and of itself - Duchess is returning to her light- kids and healing. Whether she pursues medical degree or not, this step to serve is her light, her gift. Her keen intelligence will be matched by an empathy and compassion that only a girl who stared disability and death in the face and made them back down can have. To me it means she is chasing good and believing in good and that pouring light into others can still make a difference.
Secondly, we used the words she and Taylor used. Taylor, being cute or rebellious or both, spelled "cool" - 'kewl' and she often exchanged "thanks" for 'tanks' or 'shanks'. She insisted that her blog entries did not have to have appropriate spelling or punctuation despite my efforts to edit. These are simple, silly words but they said so much to me and to Josie I think. More than pictures, they are pieces of Taylor we share.
Twenty years wasn't long enough.
I think her friends struggle wanting for more time as well, but they are turning the struggle into a fierce determination to give to others, to dance on the pages of this life, and to love with intention. At once I am humbled to be their friend, the mom to their friend, and their 'mommawitch".
Josie's mama often uses Shakespeare's words to describe her girl, "Though she be but little, she is fierce." and they could not be more fitting. Her stature may be petite, but her resilient heart and spirit stand tall.
#golighttheworld baby girl