Why "Mom's Wish" Stayed With Me

It's easy to judge someone's behavior when we don't understand what shaped it.

Mom's Wish begins with a mother whose determination borders on stubbornness. At first it's tempting to focus on what she's doing.

Behind persistence, frustration, silence or conflict, there's usually a story we haven't taken the time to understand. In this case, that story is grief.

What stayed with me wasn't simply the emotion of loss. It was the realization that understanding someone's motivations can completely change the way we see them.

Stories have a unique ability to do that. They invite us to look beyond actions and into the experiences that shaped them.

Perhaps understanding doesn't begin when people change. Perhaps it begins when we become curious enough to ask why.