Being Fully Present

My daughter, Heather, doesn’t particularly think it’s a great thing that today is her 30th birthday.  So, we’re not going to talk about that…too much. 

Instead, let’s celebrate the wonderful fact that today is my 30th anniversary of being her Mom! 

With that in mind, please indulge me some space to talk about her.

With the start of her life, my life – and my husband’s – changed dramatically.  Starting on the day of her birth (even shortly before then), every decision we have made was based on what was best for her (and later, her younger brother Matthew, too).  From simple things like what groceries to buy to more complex decisions like choosing which school district to live in, what was best for our children has been at the core of our last thirty years.

It’s not just motherhood that I’m celebrating, but the blessing of being her Mom.  Why?  Because Heather has been and continues to be an outstanding human being.  Because we can’t imagine what life would have been like without her in it.

When she was a little one, Heather always wanted to help people.  She would stand on a chair and help dry dishes. She would sit on the kitchen counter and help my Dad count scoops of coffee into the filter. When her little brother came along, she would protectively hover around him just in case he needed anything.  She took loving care of all her dolls and stuffed animals. And, as most kids do, Heather would let us know when something wasn’t fair.  Not just unfair to her, but to her brother or friends or even a stranger she heard about in the news.

Today, she has her own public relations firm, Geben Communication, with a passion for helping small businesses and non-profits.  The German word Geben means “to give.”  Heather has offered her services to help causes she believes in, such as battered women’s groups.  Heather is also keenly aware of political issues and their impact on people.  From all accounts, she is a good and kind friend, too. She is still caring about and helping others, but on a much grander scale.

Little girl Heather was a loyal Mister Rogers fan.  Perhaps it was her love for his neighborhood and the kind puppets in it that helped her realize how important community is.  When she was in college, she joined a sorority; being a Pi Phi was another sense of community.  After graduation, she volunteered for various political campaigns to help the larger Toledo community.  When she moved to Florida, she again developed a love for the communities she lived and worked in.

Today, it’s not Mister Rogers’ neighborhood, but her own that she loves. She and her husband enjoy getting to know the people they live near, the local businesses that are growing, trying unique neighborhood restaurants, the local artists, and experiencing community events.  Heather has a strong sense of community; both the nearby physical community and the wide-ranging electronic community she is part of on Twitter and other online vehicles. It’s always a beautiful day to be in her neighborhood.

My mother-in-law used to call Heather “Lois Lane,” because she was always asking questions.  Even as a young child, if she walked into a room and the grown-ups were in the middle of a conversation, she would ask, “What? What did you say?” She wanted to know everything.

This skill of asking questions, and listening to the answers, helps Heather serve as a successful consultant and partner to her clients.  She wants to understand what their challenges, needs and goals are before she proposes a solution.

Heather has always had a love of sports.  I vividly remember, when she was about 10 years old, taking her to a baseball event that some local minor league ballplayers were offering at a local school.  She was the only girl, but remained undaunted. She learned how to improve her throws, how to bunt, how to better handle grounders. The players thought she was pretty cool and gave her lots of attention.

Today, she is a die-hard sports fan, especially when it comes to the NY Yankees.  She will give most guys a run for their money when it comes to sports knowledge.  She had to marry a very special guy who would not be intimidated by that.  A perfect evening is walking to a nearby pub to catch not one, but two or three games that might be on TV.  And, don’t you know, her husband is an Indians fan!  We love him, anyway!

Heather has often held leadership roles.  She earned first chair as a cellist in middle and high school.  She ran for student council office along the way and was the award-winning editor of her high school yearbook.  Heather quickly became a leader among her friends at college and in the public relations field as her career developed. Last year, her entrepreneurial spirit brought new focus to her career and Heather is now leading the way as a successful small business-owner.

I could go on and on with stories about what a great person Heather is and what a blessing she is to society at large.  However, suffice it to say that I can’t imagine how different our life would have been if she had not been born.  We experienced so many good times, funny stories, wonderful friends, compassionate actions, and some of life’s challenges, too.  All of these have enriched our lives far more than we ever imagined when we first held that bundle in our hands.

Happy birthday, Heather. From Dad and I, and all those with whom you have come in contact, thank you for thirty wonderful years.  We are all looking forward to what’s next!

This entry was posted on June 25, 2010 at 4:00 am and is filed under Living Fully Present. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Community, Family, Gratitude, Happiness, Life, Love