I came across a piece in the New York Times a week or two ago entitled, “You May Want to Marry My Husband,” written by a woman who was dying of cancer. At the time, I knew I didn’t have the emotional wherewithall to read a good-bye piece, so I bookmarked it.
Last night, I finally pulled it up to read. It turns out the author had died in the time between the piece being published and my reading it.
The author was Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I didn’t recognize her name, but as I read her obituary, I remembered one of her children’s books that my daughter enjoyed when she was little. I can remember my daughter having fun, laughing over the book, Little Pea, with Ama, her grandmother.
As read her obituary, I began to feel more and more connected to this woman. She died of ovarian cancer, just like Ama. In fact, she was diagnosed on the day after Ama died in 2015. She had to go through the pain of being the one to carry that torch next. Perhaps her job (in the story that I am making up in this moment) was to carry on Ama’s legacy of How To Live A Resplendent, Wholehearted Life.
I have written before about Ama’s pearls of wisdom, the ways she approached life before and after her diagnosis that made her light shine and lit up our lives as well.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal seems to have had a similar philosophy to living that emphasized creativity, connection, beauty, and magic. The message of her TEDx talk from 2010, called 7 Notes of Life, distills into one appeal: MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME HERE.
It seems all the more poignant and all the more compelling, knowing of Amy’s early exit from this life at the age of 51.
Her words echo through my head this morning and remind me of Mary Oliver’s own earnest inquiry at the end of her poem, The Summer Day:
Last night, I finally pulled it up to read. It turns out the author had died in the time between the piece being published and my reading it.
The author was Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I didn’t recognize her name, but as I read her obituary, I remembered one of her children’s books that my daughter enjoyed when she was little. I can remember my daughter having fun, laughing over the book, Little Pea, with Ama, her grandmother.
As read her obituary, I began to feel more and more connected to this woman. She died of ovarian cancer, just like Ama. In fact, she was diagnosed on the day after Ama died in 2015. She had to go through the pain of being the one to carry that torch next. Perhaps her job (in the story that I am making up in this moment) was to carry on Ama’s legacy of How To Live A Resplendent, Wholehearted Life.
I have written before about Ama’s pearls of wisdom, the ways she approached life before and after her diagnosis that made her light shine and lit up our lives as well.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal seems to have had a similar philosophy to living that emphasized creativity, connection, beauty, and magic. The message of her TEDx talk from 2010, called 7 Notes of Life, distills into one appeal: MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME HERE.
It seems all the more poignant and all the more compelling, knowing of Amy’s early exit from this life at the age of 51.
Her words echo through my head this morning and remind me of Mary Oliver’s own earnest inquiry at the end of her poem, The Summer Day:
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
with your one wild and precious life?
I feel a fire stirring within me. This is not the time for sitting back to see what happens. This is not the time for perseverating on worries, real or imagined. This is the time to step fully into the embrace of the world and know it can hold my weight. All of it.
And so, I am standing up today. I am diving in. I am forging ahead. I am walking into the fire of Mary Oliver’s question. And I am continuing the legacy left by Amy and Ama: to make the most of my time here, to live a resplendent, wholehearted life.
A perfect start of the season of rebirth. Happy Spring.
What is being reborn in you? What is awakening? What does make the most of your time here look like for you in this moment?
And so, I am standing up today. I am diving in. I am forging ahead. I am walking into the fire of Mary Oliver’s question. And I am continuing the legacy left by Amy and Ama: to make the most of my time here, to live a resplendent, wholehearted life.
A perfect start of the season of rebirth. Happy Spring.
What is being reborn in you? What is awakening? What does make the most of your time here look like for you in this moment?
 | Jessica Curtis is a professional coach who helps people cultivate intention and live from a place of meaning and authenticity. If you think you could benefit from working with Jessica or want to invite her to work with your group, reach out to start a conversation. |
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