Success what does it look like?  As I have said before my skewed ideas about what success did not look like have gotten me in a quandary of confusion but I have begun to forma picture of true success in my mind  as I write this I am traveling from lake Mary Florida to Waycross ga. In the car with me is my husband of 26 years almost, my sister, and my niece.  We are returning home from my nieces ordination ceremony.
I was allowed to pray for her at the ceremony because I am her pastor.   In remarks before my prayer I told of how She had prayed for me when she was a child believing that Jesus could do something with me. She got her prayer answered  now I stood before her and prayed for her to be used mightily by God.
It occurred to me this is success.  Nobody is getting a big salary and neither one of us has been accepted in what my mother would have said was society but boy the feeling of accomplishment is huge in me.
Now don't get me wrong, I myself have not accomplished Joanie's ordination.   She did that. Why I didn't even make it to be a pastor alone because Joanie lead that through prayer.  But something so satisfying happened in me.
Surely I have not achieved moms definition of success nor have I accepted the success of my father, but oh how I feel this must be success on some level. And if it is I want more success.  
I think I am making a change in the direction of knowing what success is and receiving it with gratitude  I can be forever changed.
P.S.  Following the ordination, I was invited to spend the day with my oldest son and his family on Monday.  Being a grandmother has it's perks.
The day was filled with moments. There was the moment when John Harper changed vehicles from his maternal grandmother to ride in the vehicle with me because I have play dough at my house. There was the moment when Sadie allowed me to tickle her relentlessly for the first time.  She is two. There the moment when Callie leaned her head on my shoulder to get comfort because she had a headache.  There were moments on the dinosaur trail, riding the one ride I felt comfortable to ride, the moment with Randy (my 40 year old son) in the wading splash pool hiding from the intensity of the sun and the moments with Christy (my daughter in law) when I quipped at my simple mindedness. But the most precious of moments happened when we all both grandparents and family sat at the dinner table.  Randy asked John Harper age five, what was his favorite thing that happened all day.  After a few seconds of thoughtful consideration, John said, "my favorite was spending time with my family."
Does that spell success?  You bet it does.  I think I will continue on this discovery with you to find out all the areas of success that are available.  I will be forever changed by that moment.