What Hodgepodge Readers Learned From Their Moms

Debbie - thanks for this opportunity. I learned a million things from my Mom - however, the one which has given me the most fun is "how to have adventures - not to be afraid to step up and take that chance which can lead to seeing and doing the unusual." Dee in Las Cruces


Hi there!
I enjoy reading your emails, and wanted the opportunity to reply to this one.
My mom passed away in 1999, at 84 years old. I still miss her.
Things she told me:
1. You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
2. You have to suffer to be beautiful. (She always wore high heels, even though she had polio as a child and walked with a limp.)
Thanks, have a great day!


Dear Debbie:

I learned how to find the humor in everything from my Mom, even in the face of adversity. I also got my love of books from her.
Holly Kuehn
Arvada, CO


The most important thing my mom gave me was a deep love for God and church. Without that...well the brightness of love & life would not seem so bright. To my mom I am eternally grateful.
Tanya Rau


Buy cookies; knit sweaters! In other words, use your time to make something that will last.


From my Mom, Lorain Cawthorne, I learned that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. She always said that.


Debbie-- I learned So much from my mom-- as much by her example as by her words.

1. INVITE ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE INTO YOUR HOME- understand that they love your company and hospitality more than a gourmet meal or elegant surroundings.

2. ALWAYS GIVE BACK TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE THAN YOU. Volunteer work is our "dues" for our own good life. Do it generously and without a superior attitude.

3. VALUE FAMILY. Stay close and show that you care for each other always. No matter what. Communicate! And especially be a loving and fun grandmother. The BEST role in life! (I have 4 grandchildren whom I adore now!)

4. MAKE UP YOUR BED AS YOU LEAVE IT EVERY DAY. Your day will be more peaceful and your room will look MUCH better!

That's only the tip of the iceberg-- she was a wonderful fun mom whom I miss. She died at 86 about 5 years ago.
Dorothy Schmidt (Kerrville, TX)


I learned that you should listen to your mother as she is very wise.
I had been working for a company that decided to relocate to another state so I was out of a job.
I worked as a temp for a while and my mom had told me to go to the local hospital and apply.
I didn't listen to her for a while but finally I applied and got a job and have been here for over 10years now.
I even went back and told her she was right and I should have listened to her all along.
Catherine Ragsdale


I learned so much from my Mom. One of my first memories is of sitting in her lap or lying beside her in bed as she read to me, or sang songs. I still love to read. The most important thing I learned from her though was that a Mother's love can endure forever. She died three days after my fourth birthday, and I can still feel the power of her love for me. (That was 53 years ago)
Jan M.


What I learned from my mom - was really what I learned from my grandmother. I lived her until I was 19 and while my mother lived in the same house, it was my grandmother that raised me. My grandmother was a good and wise woman, opened her home to my parents and four kids. While my parents worked, my grandmother became our mom. This all happened over sixty years ago. My grandmother taught us:

1. If you can't say anything nice about someone, then don't t say anything about them at all.

2. No one is better than you - and you are not better than anyone else.

3. You can be anything you want to be - if you just put your mind to it.

4. It is much better to be positive than negative - easier on your spirit and easier on those around you.

5. Be truthful.
Carol Thompson


My mother taught me to never be so busy that I can't stop long enough to marvel at how beautiful a butterfly is and to know that when I do, I've been touched by God's own hand.


Debbie,
What a loaded question that is for me. My Mother of 91 died just a few weeks ago. I shared her home with her for over 30 years and without using many words her life and the way she lived it taught me volumes. She had a quiet faith and was a woman of grace and gratitude. She showed her love by what she did not so much as what she said. She loved to cook and one way she showed her love was by giving her family those "Martha Stewart" dinners. She showed her love of beauty by the way she tenderly took care of her garden. She was a woman unbowed by age and was still driving at 90 a very independent lady. I think I'm the only 62 year old who would get "lunch money" from their Mother. :):):)
What did I learn from my Mother? To have faith to be kind, forgiving and loving if only I can be half the woman she was......
Thanks for asking the question.
Warmest Regards,
Kathy B.
York, PA


Dear Debbie,

What I learned from my Mother came last Saturday in a conversation over the phone.
She told me that after my Father had a Stroke he was difficult to care for at times.
Her greatest lesson learned from this experience was that when my Father was "Most Difficult to Love"
that was when she needed to "Love him most".
My Father died in December 2007.
I think we would both agree that we would do anything to Love him now.
Last Saturday I learned that a very dear friend of mine has cancer.
Saturday afternoon I already experienced the time when I needed to "Love Him Most."
I will never forget these words, especially as I try to Love, through the tears and to the end.
Catherine Stanke

My mother taught me that we're not promised tomorrow so live our best today!
Mary M