Not Invisible

I'm reading a book called The Land of Invisible Women - fascinating. I wonder what it might have been like to have been someone other than my parents' daughter. I've never been the "invisible" type - always out there with a big target on me. But, at least I learned how to take the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.. or of fortune's outrage...

I'm grateful to my parents - especially my mom these days. She was the fortifier of our family. No matter what the issue, we could count on her to help us find a way to prepare for it. She fortified us with practical experience, high expectations, new horizons, and consequences for laziness. Consequently, she raised 6 kids who all have post-graduate degrees (3 attorneys, 1 Columbia MBA, and 2 Masters of Education), all successful in their lives, all happy with their spouse and kids, and all leading productive lives. Dad helped too, of course, but today I'm thinking about Mom. She was not invisible. She, too, was a target. Some women felt threatened by both her beauty and her brains, some felt threatened by her competitive drive, and some just felt that she was "too much." She was an incredible presence.

I remember, after she passed away and I was at the mortuary looking at her body, I was amazed at how small she was. I always thought she was big. Bigger than life, bigger than anything or anybody. But there she was... small. She was 5'7" and 128 lbs. But in death, her leftover body was small. And yet, everything else she left behind was huge. Her impact on people - people still quote her to me, her beautiful image - people still tell me how striking she was, and her magnificent spirit. It's that spirit that is still colossal. She still has that amazing ability to fortify me - and the rest of my family. We still draw on her strength, her smile and her intellect. She could never be invisible. Invincible... perhaps.