Hey there , today is a special episode where I just wanted to honor my mom , who , seven years ago , left this world for a better world , one that she can shine brightly in and I have no doubt , because I feel her magic every day inside me . So this one's for you , mom , and I wrote a chapter in my book the Places when there Are Spaces called the Gifts in Grief , and I'm not going to read the whole thing , but I'm going to read just a little segment of it , which talks about how I was feeling in 2018 . I dedicated this book to Mom and simply said I dedicated this book to mom and simply said to mom , who taught me what it means to dance , and that she did quite literally and also metaphorically this one's for you , mom . So I'm going to read this little section Fall 2018 . Fall would never feel the same . If I could , I would call her to tell her about our new New York City apartment . I'd share some new music or a video of a step I made up . I imagine what fall might have been like for her if things had worked out . I can visualize her leaving her new house dance bag slung over her shoulder as she walked into town to teach her first tap class . Weird to think how close those women came to experiencing the immense joy she would have brought into their lives . I wonder . I wonder if she'd take the time to stop and look at the canal as she crossed it , or if she'd wait until she was on her way back , feeling energized from sharing what she loves with her students . Tiny and fierce , she'd strut across that bridge . She'd get there early to make sure everything was set up . No one would ever suspect that she was the least bit nervous , and the moment she put on her tap shoes she was home .
Speaker 1I am eternally grateful to have shared this passion for dance with Mom . When we danced together , time slipped away , except for the rhythm that we kept in our feet . The other day , when I put my tap shoes on , I thought about how it just doesn't feel the same without her . Sometimes , tap dancing just makes me sad .
Speaker 1In November 2024 , it'll be seven years since I lost my mother 3,959,200 minutes , and though I miss her dearly , I know that she is all around me in everything I do and I have a massive amount of gratitude for the gifts that have come from the grief , as counterintuitive as it seems . I encourage you if you've suffered loss of any kind , to look for those gifts , to look for the lessons , to look for the growth , to look for what has been shown to you through this passage in your life . I am grateful to have been shown that I am resilient and strong even in the darkest of moments . I am grateful , so grateful , to have grown a deeper relationship with my dad , far beyond what I might ever have imagined , and I'm grateful to have known the absolute love of a mother which remains now even more strongly than it did when she was mortal , and I feel her love inside me today , forever and a day .
Speaker 1I raise a glass of wine to you , mom . I've lit your mosaic candle . I've lit your mosaic candle . You know I'm with you , just as you are with me always . Much love , forever and a day . I'm Lisa Hopkins . Thanks so much for listening . Stay safe and healthy , everyone , and remember to live in the moment .