To my most favorite girls in the world...my dearest girlfriends...my sisters,
The subject heading above is the name of the Justin Timberlake song I was dancing my ass off to, when I was suddenly struck with the urge to write to all of you. (Yes, I bought his new album, and let me tell you - it's the sexiest thing I've ever heard, next to pretty much anything by Depeche Mode).
I was falling asleep on the couch at 7:00pm, with rain falling softly outside my window. I needed to wake up. I needed to move. So I decided to dance!
At first, I was looking at myself in the mirror as I boogied around the room like a maniac (on the floor). And the typical urge crept in to criticize certain parts of my body that seemed to be jiggling too much, or bouncing in a way that made me look "un-modelish" (a.k.a. ALIVE, not a skeleton corpse in high heels). I do it. We all do it. And it's such a shame, because we are all beautiful women, perfectly flawed in all the right places.
So I kept dancing, and nit-picking at my image in the mirror...until something awesome happened. I kept my eyes focused on my eyes, as opposed to my hips or my jelly-belly or my legs or my hair or my self-imposed imperfections. And as I was looking - not AT my body, but INTO the window to my soul - I saw my strength. I saw my beauty, my muscles, my femininity, my blessings. And then, in my own eyes, I saw my Mom's.
I saw her dancing. I saw how joyful she was. How non-judgemental, toward herself, toward everyone. I saw the LOVE that flowed like music from her pores. I heard her saying, "Dance, my precious darling girl! GO BABY GO!"
I saw her living as she IS in the present - invisible to the naked eye, which simply scans the outer shell of things - but completely ALIVE in spite of her physicality. She lives now through her influence, on me...on all of us. Through her tremendous loving spirit, encapsulated perfectly in remembered images of her face when she danced - all twisted with ecstacy and eternity.
I thought about all of your moms, too. How blessed we are to have our incredible, strong, wise mothers. Pass this on to them, too. They have also influenced my life positively, helping to build my confidence and identity as a woman in this world. Even those of my friends whose moms I have never met personally - they still affect me...through the part of them that is YOU!
My mom loved all of you so much...as if you were her own children and friends. She watches over you now, and is HERE when you need an angel's help, protection or guidance.
THANK YOU GOD...for our amazing MOMS!
