Tuesday Ten - Ten Things I Learned From My Mom

Mother's Day is this Sunday.  So for today's Tuesday Ten, I wanted to honor my mom.  She's a great mom and gramdmother!  Since I've become a mother, she's also become a great friend.  I'd be totally lost without her!  I've learned more from her than I sometimes even realize.  So, Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!  I Love you!

 

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Ten Things I Learned From My Mother

1. How to cook. My mom is always cooking.  She cooks for our family and for other families.  If there is ever an occasion to take food somewhere, you can be assured that my mom will be there with enough to feed an army.  Throughout my childhood, I spent many hours with her in the kitchen.  I treasure those hours and I know they are the reason I enjoying cooking myself today.
2. To carry myself like a lady.  My mom is a true southern lady and she taught me well.  She taught me the importance of manners and the importance of presenting myself in a respectable way.
3. Proper grammar.  My mom was a high school English teacher.  In fact, she literally taught me grammar since she was my ninth grade English teacher.  She frequently corrected our grammar when we were growing up.  Although there were times when, I'm sure, I found it annoying, now I am very thankful for it.  I know the difference between your & you're.  I know when to use I or me.  I try to never end sentences with a preposition (Where are you AT = nails on chalkboard!!!) As a writer (and a person who occasionally speaks to other adults), grammar is very important and I appreciate that my mom taught me to speak properly.
4. To Proofread.  Going along with the grammar, my mom also taught me the importance of proofreading.  Nothing irritates me more than reading silly errors on someone else's blog post or when I post myself only to find later that I missed some errors.   
5. "Character is what you are in the dark."  This is a quote my mother repeated to my brother and me many, many times.  (Yes, mom, I still remember it!)  Basically, it means to me that you are only a truly good person if you are a good person even when you know nobody is watching what you do; when you could do the wrong thing an get away with it, but you choose to to the right thing anyway.
6. The importance of keeping a tidy house.   Growing up, I'm sure our house wasn't spotless, but it was always generally clean and organized.  Every Saturday morning, my mom scrubbed the bathrooms and vacuumed.  She always knew where to find anything we were trying to locate.  I was always proud to have friends over.  Now that I'm a mom, I realize how difficult that must have been.  My house is certainly not spotless, but I try to keep it as neat as possible and I hope that, eventually, my girls will learn to appreciate my nagging!
7. How to Shop.  Those Saturday cleaning sessions we often followed by an afternoon of shopping!  Mom and I talked and bonded while we went from store to store.  Those are times I treasure and we still like to shop together!
8. Faith.  There was always an undertone of Faith in our house as I grew up.  It wasn't an in-you-face kind of faith, but it was always there.  That solid foundation has allowed me to further explore my own personal faith as an adult.  
9. How to have a strong marriage.  My mom and dad have been married for almost 45 years and I don't recall having ever seen them fight.  Sure, they each have quirks that annoy one another from time to time, but they have a wonderful, strong relationship that is based on love, respect, and communication.  They have supported each other through all of the ups and downs of life.  They are a beautiful example of what marriage should be and what I hope mine will still be many years from now.
10. The importance of family.  My mom and dad always put family first.  When I was younger, we had supper together around the family table.  We went to church together.  We spent time with grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Family was the center of their life and, therefore, the center of mine.  Now, we have family reunions every summer.  Who still does that anymore???  We do!!  We do it because family is where you come from and, when everything else is gone, there will still be family there to love you and support you IF you cherish them and stay connected.

**Bonus -  My mom has taught me that I am stronger than I realize.  Through a recent conversation, we were discussing an issue I struggled with for many years.  While I saw it as a struggle, my mom viewed it as a triumph.  She even says that I am her hero because I overcame it.  I had never looked at it that way and I thankful for that perspective.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!!  I love you and I appreciate you more than you know!!!

Next Week's Tuesday Ten topic: Ten Places I Want to Visit

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