Learning some Life Lessons

Thank you to each of you who emailed me or messaged me about Little Miss Hudson.  I have no idea why God chose this little angel to join him now, but I know that she is smiling down now with her big smile.  Her passing has really forced me to re-evaluate my priorities and think more thoughtfully about the direction that I am walking in this life.  It was so touching to see how many people have reached out to Mandy and Ed in this tragedy and that is all a result and testament to what amazing people they are.  Mandy is definitely an inspiration to me as a mother and a mentor.  I am hoping to carry these lessons on and be the best mother to Teddy that I can possibly be. I also want to be a better wife and friend.  I want to make sure that I tell people how important they are to me and make them feel appreciated for everything they have given me.  I am at a leadership training conference right now and something the professor said today really hit home for me as I am soul-searching.  He said that its not only important to be self-aware of how you portray yourself, but also be cognizant of how others perceive that portrayal.  After everything last week, I just really need to start making others know how much I value them and making my family and friends my priority.  I want to make sure that Teddy knows he is our number one priority, the joy of our lives and the absolute best thing that has every happened to either one of us.  I hope he can one day appreciate all of the things that we are doing to make sure he has all the advantages that we can provide and all of the opportunities that we want to provide.  I think that life lessons come to you in different forms and things happen that force you to review your life and confirm choices and paths. 

I want each of my friends and family to know that I am sorry if I have not always been as good a friend to you as you have been to me.  I always talk about what amazing friends I have and how supportive they are in every facet of my life.  I want to strive to be the best mother I can be and focus on spending quality time with Teddy and Adrian.  I am going to try to appreciate people for everything and acknowledge their presence in my life as a gift.  There are no guarantees in life and we have no assurances about what the next day will bring.  I can only control my reaction to it and I need/want to begin being a more positive force in the universe.  Thank you again to everyone, you are such an inspiration and it has given me a renewed belief in community and family.  Again, thank you and I love each of you.