Proud Mama!

Have you ever just felt so proud you feel like you start lifting off the ground with bright red cheeks and eventually you are going to fill up like that snotty blueberry girl on "Willy Wonka" and just pop with joy?

That's how it felt to watch my oldest daughter walk across the stage and get her college diploma at the ripe age of 21. With honors. Senior of the Year. Best Educational Series for activist training. Strongest Committment to Diversity.

It wasn't just the awards. It wasn't just the diploma.

It was what that represented. For Amanda, these represented living out loud, being who she is, touching so many lives, reaching out to those who can't reach for themselves, speaking out for those who can't speak for themselves. Being who she is...her unique self. College for this little Indigo was much more than partying and getting by. In fact, that stopped early on. College was about finding a place in the world where she belongs and where she is going to make the biggest difference. College for her was about narrowing in on her purpose on this planet and preparing herself to navigate that. What a blessing to know that so young.

Amanda has been an activist from birth. She has always had strong opinions stemming clear back to her insistence that she would not be using a bottle in this lifetime despite the fact her single mother worked full time. She held strong and never gave up, though her pediatrician assured me she would. He was just one of many doctors Amanda would go on to prove wrong.

Her activist nature, fueled by a heart of gold, is not always appreciated by people with other opinions. College was about learning the finesse to listen kindly--and then convince them they were wrong. Her final year was about learning that both sides could be heard...she not only taught others tolerance, but learned to practice it herself.

This world will not be the same after Amanda is done with it. It will be oh so much better. And I will sit back and learn from her, for she teaches me more and more each day.