in her eyes

I heard a sweet ballad a few years back called “In My Daughter’s Eyes.” Martina McBride, maybe? No, I think her name had a K in it… Anyway, I don’t recall what this momma saw in her daughter’s eyes, but I imagine it is much of the same that I see in my own daughter’s eyes or my mom sees in my eyes or the same things her mom saw.

I look in Maya’s eyes and I see beauty and brown and love. I see creativity and curiosity. I see promise and potential. I see my mom, my in-laws… myself. Every once in a while, I’ll catch a glimpse of my husband or my granddaughter, and my heart will flutter. I feel love and at the same time I feel loss. I feel sweetness and sadness at once. Sometimes, I feel responsible, overwhelmed, ill-equipped and insufficient. She has questions, and I’m not sure if I have the answers.

The truth is that I also have questions. I have a lot of questions. I needn’t look any further than my own reflection or the pictures of my sleep to see that they are there. I hear faint whispers calling my name. “Abimbola, come. Maya Grace, come. Come.”

Martina, or Katrina, or whatever her name is, and so many others have gotten me thinking. I look around and within and I want to know.

I heard recently that the only way to get answers in life is to start asking the right questions. I’m not sure what those questions are, but I am willing to ask. I want to know… Do you?

I am embarking on a journey, and I’d like you to come with me. I’m not exactly sure where it will take me – or you – but I am certain that this is one race neither of us can run alone. Will you join me? I’d love your company, as well as your thoughts, your insight, your feedback and your perspective along the way. Perhaps together we will unearth the questions.

If you will help me or you would like to accompany me or you are at least curious, please email me at ourjourneyin@gmail.com , and I will fill you in on the details. Feel free to invite others – your mother, your daughter, your grandmother, your granddaughter, your sister or your friends – to join us. Who knows what we will find.