My need for perfection kept me from sharing my award-winning baby journal and my business with my mom the last time I saw her.

I brought the journal with me and was waiting for that ‘perfect’ moment when I visited my mom in the hospital. She was being treated for lung cancer and while I knew her days were numbered, I had no idea how numbered.

I spent three days with her in the hospital arguing with myself–show her/don’t show her.

I returned home not showing her my baby journal nor telling her about my new business thinking, I’ll tell her this weekend when I come to visit again.

But that was the last time I would see or speak to my mom. She passed away only days later.

Even though I know she “knows” all about my business now, I put this on my list of HUGE regrets.

What I wouldn’t do to see her face and her reaction had she seen what I’d accomplished.

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Covello is owner/founder of Frittabello, which offers “inspired gifts for a baby’s life journey.”