Daria Doering

Not a day goes by that I don’t think

Of all the things I’ve learned from you.

You set me up so well for life,

I feel I can deal with anything.

From you I learned

To think for myself,

To see that the emperor

Has no clothes.

To be tough, suck it up,

To be soft, cry for help.

Put one foot in front of the other

And never give up.

To be honest but strategic,

Take risks yet be cautious

To always be flexible,

But sometimes a wall.

To work and plan

Yet rely on miracles,

To care and strive

But at times say “So what?”

To catch the gold rings

Tossed out by life,

To seize shimmering chances,

See gems in the rough.

To seek advice always

Yet keep my own counsel,

Accept wisdom from anyone,

Even a child.

In the saga of life

Take the road less traveled

Success usually lies

Where the crowd is not.

To be the bottom line

And make things work,

But also be the devil’s advocate

And enjoy a good fight.

But only do my part,

No matter what crashes,

Don’t sacrifice

Bodily or mental health.

You taught me to grow

The weak parts of myself,

That courage and daring

Are everything.

That “If embarrassment

Is the only danger

Don’t ever let that

Stop you at all!”

You preached the value

Of love and commitment,

Of a forever marriage

Of being beautiful at every age

You showed me the worth

Of vulnerability

That expressing needs,

Is not weak but strong.

You modeled the joy

Of benign neglect

Of not being controlling

Let folks do what they want.

You taught me to cherish

The nerds and hard workers

Who truly make

The world go ‘round.

You told me the ill

Have to build their own hospital,

You have to create

The solutions you need.

Truly, everything I am

Or will ever be

Comes straight from you

And I never forget it.

I always try to be

A little like you

No, as much like you

As I can become.