A scene from Sunday dinner at my Mom and Dad's house.
Earlier in the week, I'd told a few folks that I wanted to toast my new life with some champagne.
After having spent quite a bit of time embracing recent changes, I felt ready to salute new opportunities.
I relayed this idea to my folks and they did not disappoint, having broken out the tipple and the gold-tipped glasses to join me in a simple toast I made up a few years ago, which says: "May all new things be good. May all good things remain." We held our glasses aloft and they wished me a future filled with love, success and happiness. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have an adult relationship with my parents in which they not only listen and understand, but also support me in my hopes and dreams (whether professional or personal).
It's one thing to have your parents' blessing when it comes to your career or general success, but it's a whole other level of privilege when they stand behind you as you work through the end of a relationship. My folks spent a few weeks watching me process the anger, regret, guilt and sadness I had and then watched me come out the other side with my heart fully intact, seasoned with a new level of wisdom and (most importantly) still open. To hear them say that I deserve the love, respect, joy and partnership that I want to share with another in the future is perhaps the greatest gift they've ever given me. As I've said before, it doesn't matter how many friends, followers or fans you have... NOTHING compares to (or will ever replace) having the love, support and blessing of your parents.
Thank you, Mom and Dad. I love you.
