Are you carping the diem?

Make Every Day Count

In Loving Memory of My Mom

With the sudden passing of my mom last week, seizing the day is front and center of my mind. Many of you know that Carol Louise was my super saleswoman at the back of the room. Here was a woman who:

1. Showed me the power of chutzpah by escaping New York with her 3 children (aged 6, 7, and 8) to start a new life

2. Realized that she didn’t know what the future held, but it was better to take a leap of faith forward rather than to keep looking behind

3. Attempted to start an acting career at age 50 because why not?

4. Celebrated the accomplishments of others including her son’s rise at the LAPD, her daughter’s becoming a doctor (really!), and this humble one leaving a steady paycheck at Quaker Oats to take the entrepreneurial dive.

5. Understood the power of friends

6. Believed in the power of doing what you love regardless of the circumstances; my mom didn’t have much money so she volunteered as an usher so that theatre remained integral to her life

7. Heaped love to her friends at the Temple, the Red Hat Society, Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse, and to her neighbors

8. Volunteered at the library because reading and giving are important

…and never was like anyone else; she didn’t pass old or frail; she was a force of nature seizing every day. I hope you do too.

I miss you Mom.

I welcome thoughts in the comments below.