Identity

It's been a time of re-identifying myself, of having to and wanting to re-identify myself.

For so many years I have been defined by who I am. I am my mother's daughter, I am a wife, I am a mother, I am a sister. I am my mother's daughter, but I am not my mother. I am no longer a wife. I am a sister to deceased siblings, so really no longer a sister. I am a mother, but I do not want to be solely defined by being a mother because I do not want my children to carry that burden... and, I want to be seen for ME. For who I am, not for who I am connected with.

My children will always be the lights of my life. I mean, seriously, look at them (if you could)! They are adorable, they are unique, they are talented, they are wise, they are creative, they are precocious, they are active!, they are joyful, they are my sons. Yet, they are who they are. They are not defined by me, nor should they be. They are unique individuals with distinct personalities, characters and traits.

But... if I am not to be defined by the people who fill my life, how do I define me? Who am I? I am a free woman, committed to loving others just as they are. I am free. Free to discover who it is that I am and how I want to be defined, how I define myself. I want to be defined as a woman who loves, who enjoys life, who sees beauty in all things and people, who is confident and graceful, who is herself in every circumstance.

Herein, I suppose, lies my journey to freedom. To define myself, to discover anew what it means to be free, to be me. With God at my side, it is a journey I am ready to embrace. Put on the music, and let's dance!