It is never too late to become what you might have been

Randomly, I get completely obsessed with quotes. I'd love to think it has something to do with where I am in life, something on a grand and completely philosophical scale. Am I moving forward? Accomplishing goals making progress, learning from my mistakes... that's what I think I mean by "moving forward" anyway. Or am I simply hanging in there? On some days, too many to count, just maintaining the status quo is no small feat. It's the days when I'm not hanging in there, when I feel myself actually slipping away that I find inspiration in the words of others who've already been on this journey. Abraham Lincoln said "The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time." I rely on these words to get me through the threat of being completely overwhelmed by Henry's unknown future. I don't have to worry about whether he'll be able to drive one day, if he'll have any kind of learning disorders, or even if he'll be able to cut his own food at the dinner table. Those are all so far down the road in that unknown future. Today, he's perfect, annoying his big sister in all of the quintessential little brother ways, behaving age appropriately with his possessive self-centered views. The future comes one day at a time, and today is amazing.

I saw a poster with the message "My Worth will not be dicated by a number." Not a quote that's attributed to anyone, but one that pulls me out of that backslide that the scale always sends me down. My worth will not be dicated by a number. That's not a poster, that's my life.

One of my favorites though, "It is never too late to become what you might have been." ~George Eliot.

George Eliot was a penname for Mary Ann Evans, who authored Silas Marner in the mid 1800's. A couple of things here... If you haven't read Silas Marner, it's a beautiful book. It's the story of a man who was wronged and found redemption through the eyes of his daughter, or the girl who he raised as his daughter. It's about a man who is rescued by the devotion of a child, who finds a new life and a creates a whole new world around that child and is better for it. It's heartache of love lost, lives ruined by assumptions and ignorance, and a child healing all of that only to grow up and cause her own pain. It's a lovely story. And, the author has her own story, choosing to hide her true identity to be taken seriously as a writer, and then coming out mid-way, making her own rules, demanding respect in an unyielding society. Pretty remarkable herself. So, today, if you find yourself in a backslide, think of Mary Ann Evans who couldn't follow her dreams because she was a woman, and how she refused to let that stop her. Think of Silas Marner who's life was redefined by a child, and how that happens to us all. It is never too late to become what you might have been. Be a dreamer, a writer, a poet. Be a scholar, an advocate, a parent. Be loved. Be honest. Be forgiving. It's never too late. 

Hug your partner/pet/child, and make it a great day.
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