Hi friend, Steph here. As you might know, grief has been very close to Rachel's family lately, since she so recently and so tragically lost her brother-in-law, Logan. And in the weeks since, she told me that she's found herself thinking about the people who have shaped her, the moments she wants to hold on to, and the memories that become the things we carry forward when someone we love is no longer here.
And so, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to air this episode today.
Summertime has a way of feeling bright and carefree, but sometimes that brightness can be its own kind of ache when you are wading through grief. If that is where you are this summer, my heart goes out to you.
Today's episode is an encore of one of the most personal episodes Rachel has ever recorded ā a tribute to her own mother, who passed away from breast cancer when she was nineteen years old. She originally recorded it in July of 2018, on the fifteenth anniversary of her mom's passing, and this July 14th marks twenty-three years since she's been gone.
In it, Rachel talks about the ways her mom saw strengths in her before she saw them in herself, and how she made it her mission to help Rachel cultivate them. One of the Self-Assured Motherhood principles is Celebrate Your Strengths, and Rachel credits her mom for helping her know her strengths well enough to celebrate them.
Whether you had a mom like Rachel's, or you're a mom trying to be a mom like Rachel's, I hope this episode gives you a little space to think about the people who have shaped you, and the ways you're shaping the people you love.
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
-
See your children as individuals and pray to know their gifts ā Rachel's mom noticed she was a directionless seventh grader and quietly set out to find what she was good at. That mother's instinct to look for and cultivate her daughter's specific gift changed the course of Rachel's life.
- Leave tangible reminders of your love ā Rachel's mom used her gifts (sewing, planning, scheming up the CD for their dad) to leave behind things her children could hold onto. For Rachel, that looks like journaling for her kids and this podcast itself.
- The daily work of motherhood matters more than we know ā The sometimes exhausting, unglamorous, unappreciated work we do as mothers is leaving a legacy whether we can see it or not. Rachel knows this because her mom still matters to her every single day, 23 years later.
One of the greatest gifts Rachel's mom gave her was helping me know my own strengths. If you're wondering how well you're doing at knowing and celebrating yours, we have a free three-minute quiz waiting for you at 3in30podcast.com/quiz ā it will give you a visual snapshot of where you're thriving in your self-assured motherhood journey and where there might be a little room to grow.
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