I happened to be passing through J's city on my way back from a business trip on Mother's Day Weekend. We met for dinner on Friday and brunch on Saturday before I flew home. The holiday itself never held much meaning for me but J has always done something to celebrate it which I very much appreciate. This time, I experienced the weekend in a new way - the Mother of an independent young woman who took charge of me, made me comfortable and planned everything. I just had to show up and enjoy the time together.

As we talked about her work, life and other things there was this strange experience to me speaking to a much younger version of myself and seeing flashes of my mother from my childhood. It was as if J was a composite of three women living in a different place and time. The words she spoke could not have been mine or my mother's - she is her own woman and very distinctively so. She has wisdom far beyond what I had at that age and a sense of calmness that I still don't have. Time has come for me to learn from J and I can't wait to find out how she helps me become the person I could not on my own.