Honouring the Wisest Woman I Have Ever Known

Now, for those of you who have checked out my videos to any length, you probably heard me talk about my mom. Her teachings, her influence on me, literally impact everything I do. You cannot come to my seminars, you cannot listen to one of my keynote speeches. You cannot watch a video without hearing about my mom. Today I want to share with you who she really was by sharing with you one very empowering speech. Let's talk about it. Foreign. Hi, everybody. My name is Sandy Boucher. I'm Red Thunderbolt, woman of the Loon Clan, a proud member of Seine River First Nation in Treaty 3 Territory in Northern Ontario. And as promised today, I really wanted to dedicate my video to my mom. And that's for one very important reason. Today is November 30th, and today is my mother's birthday. Now, I lost my mom on September 28, 2005. That was long before I started my own company. That was before I wrote my first book. In fact, losing my mom was the catalyst for writing my first book. But the very first speech that I delivered publicly as a public speaker was my mom's eulogy. I really wanted to highlight how amazing this woman was to me. So right now, I wanted to share that with you. And I don't think it's horrific. I pray you find it empowering, and I pray that you choose to hear this. I have it written and on my screen, here on my computer. So if it looks like I'm reading, that's because I am. I did not memorize this, even if I did a long time ago. Here it is. Today we gather to celebrate the life of the most fantastic woman I have ever met, my mother. No matter how you knew her, as a friend, a family member, a neighbor, or a casual acquaintance, mom had the gift to touch the heart of everyone she encountered. My mom loved life and all it entailed. The silliest things could make her giggle, and the smallest of events could make her smile. I'm happy to share that. That did not change even in her last days, as my brother and I encouraged her recovery. She laughed at the hospital food and all of our other silly comments. In the end, the battle proved to be just too hard. And with heavy hearts, we realized it was time to say goodbye. Now, years ago, after the passing of our dad, each of us children made a point of telling mom as often as we could just how much we loved and cherished her. When I was searching for the words for today, I looked over poems that I had written her over the years. And the words I wrote then seemed Just as fitting. Now, so today I share with you just a brief glimpse of who my mother was to me. All of the good things I possess, I learned from my mother. The undying love of my children, the appreciation and love for my partner, the strength to endure life's ups and downs, and the love of life. All I learned from my mother. At different times in my life, friends have commented, you are just like your mother. And I smile. For to me, there is no higher compliment. My mother was my advisor, my friend, my strength, my support system, and best of all, my mom. As her daughter, my mother has given me so many wonderful gifts over the years. But the greatest gift she ever gave me wasn't the newest Barbie year after year, or that brand new bike, or the sweater I would kill for, or the funkiest earrings she could find. The greatest gift she ever gave me was her teachings. My mom taught me to be strong like she was because she knew there would be times like this when I would have to be. My mom taught me to love my partner with all my heart as she did, as she knew one day I would find the man worthy of that love. My mom taught me how to love my children unconditionally and constantly, as she did every day of her life. My mom taught me to laugh, to cry, to share, to care, and to live. My mom has been my inspiration, my guiding light, and my goal in life. She has been there for me through it all, the good times and the bad. She has encouraged me, assisted me, scolded me, hugged me and kicked me just when I needed it the most. But she never ceased to amaze me. Often over the years, mom shared how she was here just for us, her children. And then, when the time was right, she would finally get to be with dad again. She waited for 24 years to get her wish. Through this time, we must remember that she got her wish. And not one of us should doubt how very happy she is now. I ask all of you today to focus not on the fact that my mom is gone, but instead, do what she would want and focus instead on the laughs you shared. The memory of that sparkle in her eye as she showed off her latest sweater, or the mischievous grin on her face when she had a good joke to share. In rough times, mom preferred to laugh rather than cry. And I know that each and every one of us enjoyed sharing a laugh with her. Thank you for joining us today and helping my family honor my mom. So there you have it. Am I lucky? Abso freaking lutely. When it came to my Mom, I won the lottery. Now, does that mean mom was perfect? No. Does that mean that mom never passed on things to me that she shouldn't? Absolutely not. My mom was a dark skinned indigenous woman. She had baggage, but she had started the healing process. And what she couldn't unpack, she did pass to me, along with the strength to unpack what she couldn't. Now, was I perfect for my children? Not even close. And unfortunately, I did pass things on to them that they have to unpack now. But every generation, that suitcase is getting lighter. And that is the goal. If there's one thing that brings me such absolute, absolute joy, it is the fact that so many people like you have met my mom long after she passed. Nothing makes me happier than doing a seminar or giving a speech. And it happens often. I will finish whatever I'm doing and at the end, someone will come up to me and say, thank you for introducing me to your mom. That's why I wrote my first book, because I recognized the strength of the teaching she passed on to me. But I also recognized they could help so many people she was never going to get to meet. Those people were never going to get to sit at her kitchen table. So I wrote a book and started giving seminars and speeches and created a YouTube channel so you could sit at my kitchen table virtually as I shared the things that I believe are going to allow us to build a bridge together. So thank you so much for helping me to celebrate my mom's birthday today. I hope maybe I had to grab a Kleenex or two. I'm known for making people need to grab Kleenex. But I hope by hearing that that you appreciate my mom as much as I did. And you can bet that you're going to get to know her even better if you stick around and keep watching these videos. Because there is no way you can get to know me without getting to know my mom. And that I wouldn't change for anything until tomorrow. We have one more video. Totally different topic again. I love you. Take care. Bye. Bye.