Be Kind.
Don’t waste and don’t litter.
Re-purpose everything.
Give whenever and wherever you can.
Classics are timeless.
Manners never go out of style.
We may not like it, but appearances do matter.
Be Gentle.
Make time to create.
Master written communication.
Cooperate and collaborate.
Read everything.
Ask questions and search for answers.
Form your own opinion.
Be Yourself.
Enjoy sports.
Spend time outdoors.
Appreciate and support the Arts.
Cooking is fun.
Meal-time should be sacred.
Leftovers make gourmet meals.
Be Patient.
Tradition matters.
Family matters.
Honor your heritage.
Love your children.
Teach your children.
Shared experiences make lifetime memories.
Be graceful growing old.
Thank you, Mom.
— “Life Lessons I’ve Learned From My Mother”
by Nanette Saylor May 2011
So, what lessons have you learned from your Mom?
(And just to be clear, in my view our “Mom” figures don’t always have to be biological. Mine is…but maybe your’s isn’t, and that’s OK, too! It’s the feeling of love, respect and honor that matters most.)
Hi there,
Glad to have found a way into your blog.You write quite beautifully. I would like to correspond with you more to get more out of your blog. I would be pleased if you could add my name to your list of friends.
Thank you
Keep up the good work,
I would be here again soon.
Hi Nanette,
thanks for sharing this ode to Mom. Very powerful.
What I learned from my Mom is that receiving and giving are equally important.
Take care
Oliver
Ah yes…I love that your mother taught you that receiving is important, too.
Sending you many blessings–
Nanette
Hi Nanette,
Your mom sounds like an amazing woman, indeed! She was very wise!
Although my mom passed away 7 years ago, her influence on me is timeless. The main thing I learned from my mother?
Treat everyone with respect, and respect will come back to you.
All the best,
Bob
Dr. Clarke-
Yes, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by many “wise” women in my life, and my mother certainly is one of them.
Thank you for sharing your mother’s lessons, too — living with respect for others is certainly a trait worth mastering.
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Hey Nanette,
I love this post. Short and sweet.
My mum thought me the importance of gratitude. For instance She taught me never to hesitate to use $50 to thank anyone who gives me $100.
Aint we blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.
Thanks Nanette!
Tosin
Thank you, Tosin, for adding “gratitude” the list of things our mother’s might teach us.
Yes, we are truly blessed.
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Nanette, aloha. What a beautiful tribute to your mother. Thank you so much for sharing her with us.
As it happens, I flew to the mainland to spend Mother’s Day with my 94 year old mom. it was wonderful.
What I learned from my mom is to be true to yourself. You have your life to live; live it however you want and don’t be concerned about what others say/think. In other words, “what you think of me is none of my business.”
Again, Nanette, thank you so much for this heartfelt message. Aloha. Janet
Janet-
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed a wonderful visit with you Mom. I’ve also been blessed to be surrounded by women who have lived well into their 90’s in my family.
Thank you for adding “be true to yourself” to this list of things that Mom’s teach us.
And we can all benefit from the lesson and reminder that “what you think of me is none of my business”.
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Nanette,
This is beautiful. It’s so nice to see a heart-felt tribute to Mom like this with so many fantastic lessons learned (stated with grace!).
My mom taught me to believe in myself and allowed me to explore paths that she knew would bruise me up. I learned better that way and am thankful to her for allowing me to slip and fall; she was always there to help me back up.
Jon
I love that your Mom encouraged you to slip and fall every now and then, Jon. Of course, the fact that you knew she was always there to back you up is priceless.
Thanks for sharing that powerful lesson from your Mom.
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Hi Nanette,
I think this tribute to your Mom is truly beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Like you, my Mom has taught me so much for which I am deeply grateful.
If I had to choose one thing it would be to treat others as I want to be treated. This has served me so well in my life.
~Marcus
Thank you Marcus for sharing yet another beautiful life lesson from our Moms.
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Hi Nanette,
My mother was a nurse, and she gave me a great perspective on good health. I think I learned her nursing perspective that emergencies are not times for knee-jerk relexive responses. It’s better to spend a few moments consideering the best response in an emergency than to rely on emotional and instant reactions. Thanks for a nice post.
Lou Barba
Wow, Lou, learning to stop and think before we react emotionally is a lesson I’m still learning! Thanks for sharing your Mom’s wisdom with us all.
Sending you many blessings-
Nanette
Nanette, this was such a beautiful poem in honor of your mother! =) You are such a talented writer and it shows that your mom taught you to value writing. =)
Your mom sure does sound like a very wise woman!
Something that my mom has instilled in me is the value of being genuine. Sincerity in interacting with others, both in person and through social media, has made all the difference in my life.
Thank you so much for reminding me to be grateful for my mother. =)
Samantha-
You’ve reconnected to some really beautiful thoughts, here. I’m glad my mother and I could be an inspiration. And yes, my intention here, was first to honor my mother, and to show my gratitude for the many gifts she’s given me.
Now that June is fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about Father’s, too 🙂
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Excellent lessons. It is really great of you to appreciate these lessons from your mom. I’m saying this because we seldom see the values of the things that our moms do for us. This happens mostly when we were younger. Then we will realize all the sacrifices they have done for us when we get older and there are so many things that we have to make up with them.
How true, Calli, that it often takes us to we’re older Mother’s ourselves, to stop and recognize our significant our own Mom’s have been in our lives.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Wishing you well-
Nanette
Be yourself is probably the most important one. You can't spend life trying to please everyone else. You just gotta be yourself, do your best as yourself and hope for the best.