January

January - Full Wolf Moon –Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.

As any mother can imagine, I think of John at least once every hour of every day. I am happy to say that after almost 6 years I do not always feel like someone is sitting on my chest when I think of him…sometimes I actually smile when I remember something he said or did…and that is the case with this quote that I saw not too long ago on Pinterest. The quote “Be the kind of person that you want to meet” immediately made me think of John…because if you could dream up someone you wanted to be with it was John.

He was so much fun because he had so many interests and when he spoke about something…he was usually the most knowledgeable person in the room on the topic. He was so darn witty, good with words and thought of the most crazy and fun things to do! His girlfriend, Mary, once told me that the party didn’t start until John showed up. And even kids who he babysat for still talk about the funny songs and games he could dream up at the drop of a hat! He was talented musically, but that is a given…but most of all…he was the best listener on the planet…when you spoke with him you had 110% of his attention. I used to tell him he should go into TV and interview people…he would have been so good at it…and he didn’t mind who you were when he was speaking to you …he was all yours and you couldn’t help but love the attention. I know this because not only have I been the recipient of his attention I saw it happen to others, old and young…everyone loved John.

And I think that is why it was so difficult when he died…no one could believe that he could be taken away…as is so often in the case of young, vibrant, kids….he had so much life in him and so much he still could give…it just didn’t seem possible! But that was because he was “the kind of person you want to meet”…

And that is my message for this month…try for a day or two to be that kind of person…the kind of person that when you take your leave of someone they say to themselves…I really like him/her…the kind of person that when you are in a grocery store or at the pharmacy and finish your transaction the clerk says…wow, would love to know him/her…you only have to do one thing well…give others 110% of your attention when you are with them. It doesn’t cost you a cent to do but I must admit…it is tricky because we all have a lot on our minds…however, if you try to do it for one hour every day you will get better at it in time…Maybe giving your family all our attention at dinner would be a good place to start..it would be good practice and could be the jumping off point for doing that with others…Can you imagine any better legacy to leave this planet? To actually be the person everyone wants to meet!