A New September (in Memory of My Momma)

I've loathed the month of September for years. So much so, in fact, that the "Over It October" celebration I kicked off with one of my best friends in college has become an annual month-long holiday we look forward to for eleven months of the year.

September hasn't established the best reputation for itself in my lifetime, and last year was no exception in its poor performances. I, along with her many other admirers, said goodbye to one of the most outstanding people I've ever known: my Momma. 

A date that will be marked on my
calendar for many years to come.

When September snuck into my peripheral vision this year, I immediately started dreading it. After all, I'm very far away from home and anyone who even knew my Momma, yet I'll have to watch two significant dates come and go: September 9th and September 20th. 

September 9th is my Momma's birthday.
September 20th marks the commemoration of her death.

Heavy, right? It's really easy for me to chalk September up as a loss for my morale, but in the spirit of the woman behind those two dates, I'm determined to turn September around. Rather than focusing on the dates that bookend her life, I hope to celebrate the many days between them. This year, I'll be making extra effort to celebrate my Momma's outstanding life - beginning to end - from  Monday, September 9th to Friday, September 20th. That's twelve days. Two weeks. One weekend.    

My Momma was the kind of person who radiated sunshine on the cloudiest of days, believed in you when you didn't believe in yourself, and celebrated the smallest tidbits of joy. In her honor, I'm challenging myself to mindfully make decisions that perpetuate her warm spirit as often as possible. 

If you knew my Momma, or even if you didn't, I'd love for you to join me. I'm not asking for extravagant and elaborate; she didn't have much taste for such things anyway. She was a fan of the everyday, of the simple, and of the thoughtful. 

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From September 9th to September 20th, you can help me make sure her legacy lives on long after she did. It can be as simple as choosing to be patient, sharing your favorite memory of my Momma, deciding to listen rather than talk, catching up with an old friend, planting flowers for someone else to enjoy for years to come, saying hello to a stranger, sending a post card, posting an encouraging Tweet or Facebook status update, leaving a small note, sharing your cupcake or umbrella or optimism, letting your kids stay up 15 minutes later than usual, doing your roommate's least favorite chore, or offering someone a ride.

Looking for inspiration? A lovely lady took on a similar challenge for a whole year, and she's got this project to show for it. And if you're really wanting to go the extra mile, I'd love for you to share some of the ways you're remembering my Momma in a comment below!

Together, we might manage to turn September around.