“we are our Mother’s Daughters”
At least I know I am…I find myself so often doing things or saying something just like Mom. These were things I hated as a child, but now here I am doing the exact same things. I look in the mirror and I see her. I hear her in my voice. She has molded my life like no other person and shaped me into who I am today. I wish I could pick up the phone and call her so many times recently and ask for her advice. She always helped me through tough times and I’ve had a lot of them lately. Yes, she sure taught me a lot…and not all of it was good. LOL..
Things I learned from Mom:
- A Love of family – She loved her family above all else. Everything else came second to them. Mom didn’t just say she loved you, she showed it in every thing she did. Her Mother and Father and siblings were so very important to her, she respected them and honored them. And she passed that on to her own children and grandchildren. We knew we were loved.
- To have a caring heart – she deeply wanted to help people and she did that. She gave freely of her money and her time. She volunteered at the schools, was a PTA President and a Girl Scout leader. She also gave to over 100 charities. Yes, really.. If someone, anyone, needed something or a few dollars Mom was always there to help them, all they had to do was ask.
- Love of animals – Mom loved animals and had 3 dogs. She loved them and treated them like her kids. Personally I didn’t like any of them.
- To be a strong woman – She was a little ahead of her time, my Mom.. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and didn’t care if anyone liked what she had to say. If you asked for her advice, you were going to hear it. Most of the time she was right. She fought for what she believed in and heaven help those who tried to tell her otherwise or hurt someone she loved.
- A love of food – this is one I wish I didn’t learn quite so well. She loved food and was a great cook. We had dinner together every night and we ate what she made for us or we didn’t eat. I just wish she wouldn’t have taught me to love potato chips.
- To love yourself – Mom did a good job on this one. She was a beautiful woman and she took care of herself. She wasn’t skinny by any means, and at times was quite heavy, but her weight never made her think less of herself. She thought she was beautiful and so others did as well.
- A sense of style – she had her own sense of what looked good on her and what didn’t. Mom didn’t follow trends or wear what everyone else did. She looked amazing in everything she wore. And as I have mentioned before, she had a statement piece that was her….the big earrings. She was never without them.
- Get up and make up – my Mom got up and put on her makeup every single day, whether she was going out or staying in. She styled her hair and put her makeup on, every day. And she would never go out of the house without dressing up or her make up.
- A love of the beach – writing this now is funny to me since I can hardly ever remember her getting in the ocean. She would get in pools but not the ocean. She didn’t want to get her hair wet. But she did love the beach. We went to Florida and the many beaches close to PA. Even if it was just for a day, we would all pile in the car with sandwiches made by her for lunch along the way and we had the best time ever. As a side note… I hardly ever get in the ocean anymore either, unless the grandkids shame me into it. But I love to sit on the beach and enjoy the beauty of it every chance I get.
And my favorite is #10. Shopping and bargain finding – My mom was the queen of shopping and she loved it. It was her hobby. Finding a bargain was the best thing in the world for her. We would go shopping all the time. When we were kids she took us downtown every Friday and we shopped until we couldn’t walk anymore. As she got older, she still loved to do it and made my Dad take her every Wednesday and Saturday and my sister and I and then later my kids went with her on Fridays. I honestly think she would have loved to go every day. This has certainly had an effect on me and my daughters. We all love to shop and when we do it together it is even better. Trying things on and laughing together until we almost pee ourselves is the best tribute to my Mom. I am sure she is looking down on us and saying to herself…”I taught them well.”
“When you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” ~ Charley Benetto
What’s the best thing your mother taught you?
Thanks for sharing such amazing post!
What a lovely piece! Your mother was not only beautiful on the outside, but she had a beautiful soul. Thank you for sharing this very personal piece.
Thank you so much Camille! She was beautiful, inside and out!
Those who touch our hearts stay in them forever…your Mom is so obviously in your heart. Thank you. Shared and enjoyed. 🙂
Thank you Donna! And yes she is..
I’m not a patient person but my mom has taught me, through example, to value patience.
We learn so much from them whether we want to or not…:)
What a great post and tribute to your mom! I feel I’m still learning from my mom and hope I’m still teaching things to my child.
Thank you Penny! I hope some day my kids will feel the same way about me.
My Mom taught me a lot about doing things for yourself, regardless of what the man in your life thinks. My Dad was an old school misogynist and treated my Mom terribly. But, she got her hair done, kept her weight in check (and exercised up into her 80s,) never left the house without lipstick, and did her best to buy flattering clothing (even with my Dad’s penny pinching ways.) She took up painting in her 60s and continued that until she passed–my Father criticizing her all the way. I never fully appreciated what she had to deal with with my Dad until much later in my life, but finally seeing it, I see how doing all she did was a way of being strong in the face of adversity. I still wonder why she never left him, and I’ll never have an answer to that, but she did keep her dignity when everything else around her was crap.
Sounds like she was a wonderful woman and I’m sure you learned a lot from her as I did…
I definitely learned 1-10 from you and Grandma! 🙂 Some of my favs from you are “Never date a guy who wears a turtleneck”. And “Always wear clean underwear since you never know if you’ll get in an accident.” Lol! Thanks for loving me! Love you!
Well so glad you have listened to me Heather! Love you too!
Such a beautiful post! My mum told me a few lessons too and also a funny one: “Don’t date a farmer, you have to work hard there!” She told me this when I was 13 😀 It still makes me laugh so hard 😀
That a good one Jessica! and thank you for sharing your story…
Beautiful post! I lost my mom when I was 24 before I had kids. I find myself saying & doing the same things she did when I was growing up. I too always wish I could pick up the phone to pick her brain sometimes. Nothing like a mother’s love
So sorry for your loss at such an early age! I miss my mom every single day! And thank you…
A thoughtful post..:-)
Thank you Cathy!
You are welcome
This is a really beautiful post! My mom is my best friend and she has taught me so much!
La Belle Sirene
That is so awesome Courtney! My Mom has passed away but my daughters are like my best friends…you are lucky!
What a loving tribute to your mom. As always, your writing causes me to take time and remember and that in itself is a blessing. Like you, I was fortunate to have a loving mother who had a true passion for life.
Thank you Cheri! And that is what I hope for these posts…that they will bring back some good memories and inspire us to be good memories for our loved ones..
I’ve learned TONS from my mother. How to be good with your money, loving difficult people, finding a bargain, and the importance of working hard.
Our Mothers are so important in our lives and teach us so much! Thank you for sharing Christine!
This is so sweet and you were so lucky. I loved and miss my mom, so much, but alas, my childhood was not filled with the happiness yours was, so I won’t comment further. My mom had to tolerate a lot of abuse, but she did love me and my brothers and we MISS HER TERRIBLY. But I will say, I learned from her life what to do in my adulthood to make things much better for me and my child. I guess if I had to pick one thing she taught me, how to be a hard worker and make ends meet.
thank you Susie! and it just shows you we can always learn something….
My mother always had the neighborhood kids at our house. We had the swing set and sandbox. We had a red wagon and my mom would pile as many of us in it and around the block we’d go….then the next bunch would jump in and make another round . Thanks for reminding me of my mom. She was the center of our family ….. Strong and sweet, tough and kind, loving and giving. Renee we were lucky to have the mothers we did and grow up in a simpler time when life was kind to us. Again thanks
You are right Melinda, we were very lucky. I miss those special times. Thank you for sharing!
This is a special reminder to remember what each of our mothers did or are still doing for us.
Thank you Candy!
Another value packed post! Thanks for being you!
Thank you Tally!
What a wonderful, reflective post about your mother. I’m my mother’s son no doubt. We are so alike in many ways. I’m glad that you have so many positive memories of her and are documenting them in your blog to reflect on for years to come.
Thank you Jeremy! We did have a great relationship…and I would say my son is also a Mother’s Son…
HAHA… yes we are our mothers and grandmothers, no matter if we want to be or not. love #5 chips and #10 of course….shopping.
Yes, we are, in more ways than we would like to think…Love you..