“You look just like her!” is a phrase I heard often growing up when people would see me with my mother. We have the same smile for sure… and I suppose the same “take control” type of attitude (which we both prefer to simply call “strong leadership skills”).
As I was reflecting the other day on all she’s taught me, I recalled the day she taught me how to properly use an industrial-strength mop and bucket. I must have been about eight, and she was our Girl Scout leader, and the camp cafeteria needed to be cleaned. Oh how I resented that chore.
It wasn’t until years later I found myself feeling grateful for this experience. I was serving with a team at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission and I spotted the same type of bucket. I knew exactly what to do with it! I went right to work, using some elbow grease and digging into the ground, rather than sloshing water in circles.
Back then, my mom wasn’t just teaching me how to properly clean a floor. She was teaching me how to spot a need and take action.
“You look just like her!” is a deep compliment, and my prayer is that it would go beyond our similar faces, because this is a woman whose life is marked by seeing others first.
-Sarah
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