The top question I get is “What is an Illuminated Woman?”
There are many answers to that and no two people are alike when it comes to what does your illuminated life looks like. I’ve talked to many men and women about this topic of what it takes to BE illuminated and to live an illuminated life. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that it happens in the most subtle moments, in the moments when you least expect it – when suddenly the refelction of your light surprises you among the illusion of darkness.
As a child, I remember looking at my mother and seeing her as this magical woman who seemed to know and see things far beyond my vision. She had this way of making solutions out of what seemed to be impossibilities. When she walked into a room, I immediately felt her presence. It wasn’t this bold, take-the-breath-out-of-you, presence, it was a softness that make my heart feel peaceful. That even when things were difficult, just having her there I felt like it would be okay.
Me with my mother, Karen, on my wedding day.
I remember having many sleepless nights because of ear aches and ear infections. This, paired with multiple ear surgeries you would think that I would get used to pain, doctors and being okay with not hearing very well. The thing that made the difference is when my mother would lie next to me in bed and it seemed to make the earaches go away. Her presence was comforting. The hospital stays didn’t seem so bad when she was there. Now, as an adult woman, her presence is sometimes the one thing that makes me feel calm and peaceful.
Looking back, I had no idea the problems my mother was facing and solving, while spending the late nights by my bed and sleepless nights in the hospital. Through all of this, her illumination made it so that I would feel comforted in a world of doctors offices and hospitals.
What is an Illuminated Woman? In this case, it was my mother with a smiling face and comforting words even though she was worried that her daughter may never be able to hear music or struggle in school because of hearing loss. I NEVER saw any worry or fear, looking into her eyes made my own worry disappear.
That is illumination. Smiling and KNOWING that another possibility exists even when the illusion of fear seems so real.
To Your Illumination,
Angela
