In a small community in northern Arizona, there is a cemetery. Within that cemetery lies a tombstone that reads, “Margaret Anne Hendrickson, October 27, 1908 – June 10, 2007.” My mother’s grave.

Neither the date of birth nor the date of death is that significant. What is significant is the dash. The dash represents a life lived, the sorrows, the joys, the failures, the successes. The dash represents the influence she had on me, the life lesson she taught me.

At the age of 47, she moved with two young children to the territory of Alaska to join her husband who was cooking for miners in a small coal mining camp. She lived in a log cabin heated by a coal furnace and cooked on and baked in a coal stove. My mother had left family and friends behind and no longer had the luxury of life in a metropolitan area.

The lesson I learned from my mother’s adventure to Alaska is to step outside one’s comfort zone. This is the opportunity to learn new things, see new places, meet new people, and try new experiences. One can be more creative, can gain self-confidence, can continue personal development and can live a more rewarding life if one can step outside the comfort zone.

To step outside the comfort zone, one must not fear failure. One must look upon failure as a teacher, as a learning experience. If stepping outside the comfort zone is discomforting, associate with confident men and women who are risk-takers to see how they function.

My mother demonstrated that one should not fear stepping outside the comfort zone. She insisted that dreams can become reality. Although she did not have a high school education, she encouraged my dream of becoming an attorney. She lifted me up when I felt down.

My mother had hard times in Alaska, which challenged her. But she survived and showed that she was defined by how she survived.

Unlike a new vehicle, a new baby does not come with a manual. A new baby comes with a mother. For which I am sure we are all grateful.

Blesses and thanks to all the mothers who have nurtured us. I am sure each reader is very grateful for their mother and all that she has done to make each of us the individual we have become.