I Got It From My Mama

People have always told me that I am a doppelgänger of my mother. I see it every time I look in the mirror and it brings me quiet comfort and puts a smile on my face when she looks back at me. I know she’s here with me. I can feel her. Every single day.

I have a tattoo on my arm. It’s of a lotus flower and the letters WWJD curl out from one of the petals.

In many cultures, the lotus flower has a deep spiritual meaning. This elegant flower grows in muddy water, but its petals remain clean and unblemished. It emerges from the darkness and rises above the surface of the water. It is symbolic to the chaos, negative energy and circumstances that life may bring. It is symbolic of rising above all of this to find the beauty in life’s everyday moments. In finding the positive in even the darkest moments.

For Christians, WWJD is often associated with the phrase “what would Jesus do.” The WWJD that’s forever imprinted on my skin, to me, means, “what would Jude do.”

Jude was my amazing mother. The person that stood unwavering and strong in the face of a 10 year plus battle with cancer. The person who started walking around the track at the YMCA after her surgery only to became a marathon runner despite having a lobe of her lung removed. She kept living her best life and inspiring us all despite her circumstances.

My mother wrote her lifes’ story, and she encouraged each of us to write our own. This is the first post in my blog and it’s a tribute to the remarkable woman who continues to inspire me. Every single day.

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