Some things in life stick with us forever…childhood memories of holidays, our first kiss, lessons from our mother…because Ginger (my mom) was a strongly-opinionated stay-at-home mom who took her role of mother as godliness, there were many, many lessons over many, many years. Some of my friends even remember my mother’s lessons! I must admit that while we did not always see eye to eye on things, many of her lessons still stick with me.

One Mother’s Day about twenty years ago, I gave my mom a card with all her lessons inscribed inside…she loved it so much that she had it framed…motherhood was clearly everything to her. Though the words on the card have faded over time, I now have it hanging in my home office.

Some of her lessons – with my 2 cents:

• Never leave the house with your bed unmade. (I don’t!)
• Marry a man with ambition. (I am ambitious myself!)
• Nursing is a good profession to fall back on. (Or start out with!)
• Put a hat on the baby’s head. (I did.)
• Be confident. (Oh yeah!)
• Don’t visit someone’s home empty-handed. (Never!)
• Always dress according to the weather. (Religiously.)
• Don’t be afraid of makeup. (Ha! I’m not.)
• Be good to your sister. (Of course!)
• Don’t get fat. (Ongoing effort.)
• Buy less, but buy quality. (Less??)
• Take care of your teeth. (Always.)
• It’s easy to stuff a chicken. (Stovetop is easier!)
• Have routine date nights with your husband. (You bet!)
• Smile. (Every single day.)

Lessons, as we know, can be learned without words…sometimes the greatest lessons are not words spoken to us, but what we experience and observe…observing the relationship between my parents was a huge lesson in the value of a solid marriage…observing our home decor and my mother’s personal style certainly taught me to embrace bold color, quality (translate, expensive), and attention to detail…and then there were the lessons I did not embrace….

• Age gracefully
• Dress according to your age
• Enjoy your youth, because it’s all downhill after 50

SORRY MOM, not with you on these! For those of you reading this, yes, everyone is different. Some may prefer to embrace the gray, wear conservative styles, and stay at home on Saturday nights. As for me, I will be coloring my hair and squeezing into leather shorts for date night as long as I can! We only get ONE LIFE. In the end, my choice is to leave with the words of Frank Sinatra, “I did it MY WAY.”

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY EVERYONE! XOXOX