I feel just like her.

Never do I feel more like my mother than when I embark upon an adventure. I feel the strength of her spirit, the legacy of her lessons pulsing through my with every midnight mile that I drive.

As a kid, I always felt like my mother was fearless. I remember watching her and wondering how one became so brave. But as a mother, there is hardly anything I want more for my children than for them to feel brave and bold. And if it means that I have to perform with more bravado than I would under normal circumstances, I'll do it, for them.

Like when we reached Elko late and travel weary and ready for a rest, but couldn't find any hotel available and the kids turned to me with a touch of panic in their voices and said, "What will we do mom?!". I was proud to be able to harness her memory and say firmly to them, "We will go on guys. It will be fine." And maybe, just maybe, when they look back and reflect upon their childhoods I will stand as the same sort of strong and fearless character that my mother was to me. I feel grateful that frequently the most profound lessons are learned and taught without much effort. Someday they will understand the metaphor of our moments, and hopefully push on when they least think they can.