Let Your Guardians Guide You!

Today is a significantly challenging day for many reasons, and I contemplated this before writing it. But, in an effort to stay true to the mission of my blog to KEEP POSITIVE, I'd like to CELEBRATE the people who are NO LONGER WITH US.

As a good lil Catholic gal, today marks the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Now, for people who are not Catholic--please feel free to insert your preferred word. I'd like to share a little story with you about my awesome Guardian Angel (guider, protector, voice of reason, motivation, insert here.) Her name is Maggie. And she is magnificent!!! My Mom told me this morning that it's Guardian Angel Day today and that she'd pray for my Guardian Angel to remove the dark cloud that has been hanging over me.

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Maggie first came into my life when I was merely 6 months old. She was one of my Mom's college students and had been begging since I was born to let her babysit. Maggie took several of my Mom's classes and she took a liking to her. Maggie was a bit of an adventureous spirit and after persistent pleading, and a need for a sitter while working full-time, my Mom agreed to trying out Maggie as a babysitter. It turned out to be one of the best decisions my Mom ever made!

my Mom and Maggie circa 1990
 

Me channeling my inner "Maggie" on my college graduation day!
Couldn't have made it without her!

Maggie was by far the most positive, adventureous, fun-spirited, hilarious, curious, and compassionate human being I ever had the pleasure to know. She'd take my sister and I on "wild goose chases" in the car, taught me how to ride a bike, how to ride a skateboard, to be my own person and so much more. She had the ability to make you feel like a rockstar and like you could take on the world.

Maggie's famous mantra she taught me, "I'm a big brave dog, I'm a big brave dog..."
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She was pursuing her Ph.D. in History and was in the process of interviewing Holocaust survivors to tell their stories in the community. I think I was the only third grader who could give a synopsis of WWII and knew entirely too much about Hitler. That was the awesome thing about Maggie though.

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From such a horrible and tragic event in history, she could turn it into an opportunity to learn and show compassion to others. Maggie faced many battles of her own, but never once complained or showed self-pity. She had extraordinary empathy for other people and gave voice to their untold stories.  Her respect for people of all walks of life made her accepted far and wide in the community. She had the ability to find the good and pull it out of you.

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She tremendously impacted me as a youngster and I am forever grateful that she helped shape my life. Just a week before my 9th birthday, she passed away suddenly from complications from untreated diabetes. She was only 27. Our family was obviously deeply affected by her death and we certainly still miss her. But her legacy of tolerance, lifting others up, persistence, compassion, and zest for life live on. Shortly after her death, my Mom was informed that Maggie had plans for establishing a "Tolerance Resource Center" at the college.

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In an effort to follow Maggie's mission of finding the goodness in a dismal situation and a lesson of tolerance--my incredible Mom, along with the help of other faculty members, founded the Tolerance Resource Center at Notre Dame College on November 16, 1997, less than a year and a half after Maggie's death. Over the past 15 years the center has held several cultural, religious, racial and tolerance based events to raise awareness and promote peace within our community. The Abrahamic Center, as it is now known today, still hosts several educational programs and exhibits to foster the positive mission of tolerance.

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So despite a challenging situation I find myself in today, and even though it may be difficult to see the happiness in it, I choose to have faith in the good. Although that path may not quite be revealed to me yet, I trust my wonderful Guardian Angel, Maggie, to guide me and push me towards pulling the goodness out of this situation. Respect others and their choices. Perspective. Sometimes, all you can do is turn your problems over to some Higher Power. The clouds will open up soon, and I celebrate the ones I love in my life who are no longer with me. Always in my heart.

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