Usually I write as “the mother seeking….” But of course, I am so much more than a mother. Today I write from a different perspective, as “a daughter seeking….” I suppose everyday we all operate from a place of mixed roles and identities simultaneously. Perhaps I am a mother first, if asked to rank them, but being a daughter has certainly shaped me and made me, in part, into the mother I am, just as being a wife and a friend and a student has done.

On one of my recent trips to be with my father, my new friend Katrina Kenison (who happens to be one of my favorite author as well-Lucky me!) wrote me an email which brought me much needed encouragement and solace . She wrote many wonderful things, and one of the most powerful was encouragement to, “offer my gift of presence and love… the rest takes care of itself.” She coined this “compassionate witnessing.” I love the idea of “compassionate witnessing” because it speaks to the need to let go of my desire to control and fix, and just surrender to the process as it unfolds.