Function: nounEtymology: French
1. a naive girl or young woman
I often hear the phrase "my mother was a saint" in overplayed sitcom reruns on TBS - usually in response to an insult directed at some character's mother-in-law. Well, my mother was no saint, but she was an inspiration and is a major motivating force behind this blog. Mum died this past December, a victim of Stage Four breast cancer, at the age of 46. While it is extremely difficult to see the good in such painful events, Mum's death has opened my eyes to the fragility of life and the necessity of cherishing every moment. I know, from watching her cling to her life with all that she had and the sadness and defeat in her eyes as she closed them for the last time, that my mother was not ready to die. I know that she did not believe she had lived her life to the fullest. I carry the anguish of that knowledge every single day, but I refuse not to learn from it. My mother loved life more than anything, she just wanted more time. Unfortunately, we are not always given more time, and that is why we must do all that we can with each day we are blessed with.
At 23, I have already lived out half of the life my mum was given. I have never been more aware of my own naïvité, my own inexperience and simplicity. I have decided to launch this new blog, American Ingenue, on my mother's birthday, about myself: a young American girl who, knowing very little about herself and the world, sets out on a mission to discover and experience as much of life as she can in this short time we are given. I hope you will offer your support and insight as I embark on this existential journey.
Here's to you, Mumma.
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