She was born the same month and the same year as me. My sister from another mister if I were to be silly, and oh she brings out the silly in me. She brings out the joy, and the laughter, the challenge to be smarter, to be a better human. She made me a better mother and every day I use her wisdom to make it through the day.
I met her at a parent’s night at preschool. She told us that it was her job to be there on our children’s journey. The highs and lows the roller coaster of their emotions. It was the greatest lesson I was ever given on how to be there for my children. I felt as if she was speaking just to me in that room full of parents. I felt judged and lacking and knew in that moment that I needed to do better and be better. She showed me the way.
I am not even sure how to describe her. She is probably one of the most amazing people I have ever had in my life. If she was Auntie Mame then I would be Jan to her Marcia. There are people who influence thousands of others on a grand public scale, and then there are those who influence thousands of others one person at a time. She has taught thousands of children and I am sure that each of these kids has carried a part of her out into the world. The ripples of her love and teaching must reach across the world.
She is a teacher, a mentor, a scholar, a friend, an intellectual, and an 80s girl deep in her heart. Her closet is packed with patterns and colors, and for each and every outfit she has the sunglasses and accessories to go with. She cackles, giggles, and laughs, and has the best booty shake ever. She was the heart of the school my girls attended. She is hopefully the foundation of silly for my youngest girl.
She carried a tiny jar of wishes with her when my youngest was in school with her. On their birthdays she would give a wish to a child. I honestly do not remember the whole wish, but I remember the beginning “This is my wish for you”
And she had wishes for every child. She wished them love and strength, joy, laughter. She wanted every child to grow in a beautiful world. She gave them, and us parents, patience, kindness, strength, lessons, reminders, help and so much knowledge.
Her strength and fragility battle inside her, and some days the cracks show how much her heart was hurt in the past. She carries her past with her, she makes her baggage hers, bedazzles it and stuffs the past and its lessons inside to pull out when needed.
She reads with the best pigeon voice ever, she offers advice, calls out the foolishness of my thoughts, supports me when I need it, and dreams along with me of futures fun, wild, crazy and not even remotely plausible.
Whenever I think of her I think of the Byron poem, and of course I mix it up. ‘She walks in beauty in the moonlight, with cloudless skies, and stars in the sky. She is all that is best of dark and light. She carries wishes in her eyes.’
She made me a better mother, she gave me the knowledge to survive being a mother, she is my friend, she is beauty, sorrow, wishes, the symbol of safety in her arms being read a book to for my girls.
Snapshots of Them 
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