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I saw that my friend Caron Golden wrote a wonderful piece about her mother that was picked up by the LA Times and I was inspired to do a similar piece on my Mom. Now, I don’t know if this will be picked up by one of the world’s leading papers, but my Mom does deserve equal attention!

Mom, you’ve taught me so much, here are some of the things that stand out.

1. Be charitable. Mom was always the first one to help out someone in need. For years, she would clean the house of a woman from our church who had debilitating arthritis. This was just one of the people Mom has given her time to throughout the years–others included my great Aunt Mimi and Uncle Eldon, friends who were struck with illness, and the African American family who got our old clothes. Granted, sometimes we kids were told that if we weren’t good our Christmas presents were going to go straight to the less fortunate, but I’m sure we deserved it.

2. Be considerate. Most of you know I’m a stickler for being on time. I think this comes from a desire to think often of how others will feel if I am late. The Golden Rule may be something I need to remind myself of often, as human nature sometimes fights it, but it was reinforced to me growing up enough that it is always there for guidance.

3. Be caring. Even though I’m now 41 (yikes), Mom is still the one I call when I get a proverbial boo boo. I try to do this with my family and friends, and I hope I am at least half as caring as my Mom is. When I’m taking care of my pets, or calling a friend/family member who’s sick or having a hard time, I’m sure I’m using what I learned from Mom.

4. Be appreciative. No matter what you buy for my Mom as a gift, she will act like it is the most unique, perfect, gift that she could have ever received. We make fun, a little (yes, everyone in my family has a similar sense of humor), saying we could give Mom just about anything and she’d ooh and aah. But we got the point. If someone goes to the trouble to buy you something, appreciate it–the person is putting themself ‘out there’ and why not tell them you like it, even if you don’t? (regifting is a whole ‘nother topic lol)

5.  Be a good listener. Mom has many…colorful and interesting friends. You know, the kind who call on the phone and can be heard by everyone else in the room? No offense to them, we loved growing up in a household where Mom’s friends’ visits were always interesting. Lots of great stories would always be told, and they would ‘howl’ with laughter as my Mom would say. I always remember Mom spending a lot of time listening to her friends, and being supportive, and I think it is really important.

6. Always ask people if they’ve lost weight.’nuff said.

7. Always make a big deal about peoples’ birthdays. OK, this one I could do a better job on, but I get it. Mom always made a really big deal about our birthdays, and I think it did a lot for our self esteem. Everyone wants to feel special. Everyone.

8. Take good care of yourself. Sometimes to my chagrin, when we were sick, Mom would make us stay home for what seemed like an eternity, until we got better. To this day, I ‘put the brakes on’ way early when I’m getting sick, and I try to take preventative measures with my health. Take good care of yourself, you deserve it, and nothing in the world should be as important to you as staying healthy.

9.  Never pass up a good garage sale. ’nuff said. Dad has learned to hit the gas pedal in anticipation of passing one.

10. Be creative. Mom is incredibly creative. Granted, sometimes we felt like  she went ‘over the top’ (the wallpapered refrigerator…the shower she painted bright orange) but I know that many holidays and meals were all the more special because of her ideas. In addition, I’m betting all of us kids were inspired in myriad ways by her creativity. I’m sure my career in marketing is no accident, where I need to be creative daily.

In summary? Mom, you are a wonderful person who has shaped my life in many ways and I love you very much! You have a lot to be proud of and I hope you have a great Mother’s Day!