<p>My Mom taught me to keep my wits about me no matter how bad things are. She was widowed at 48. I was eleven. She never remarried.
We lived off of Social Security and her bookkeeper job at our church. She did all she could to give me a “normal” life She was devastated but she was always composed in front of me. I never saw her cry until the night before I left for college.</p>
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I had one of these too, and pretty much took the same thing away from it. I also learned to let my children take credit for their accomplishments, make their own decisions whenever appropriate, and not to feel threatened by their disagreeing with me or their growing independence. One the upside, he told me, and I’ve told my kids, the decisions you make in your late teens/early twenties are the ones that affect how you live for the rest of your life. This advice kept me in college when I wanted to drop out and also from making some other bad decisions.
My mom taught me the importance of faith. She told me God never sends you more than you can handle, and that has sustained me through the hardest times in my life. </p>
<p>From my mom: stand up yourself, first impressions count,. and listen to your dad…
From my dad: Learn about Investments early, take some chances while you’re young because you won’t want to (or be able to later on), don’t be so hard on yourself when things don’t go as planned, never stop learning, always keep your options open if possible and certainly don’t burn bridges no matter how much you want to light the torch. And give people the benefit of the doubt…most deserve it. But take care of yourself first–you’ll be happier and help the ones closest to you. Oh yeah–stay current with the news, the world needs people who know what’s going on…</p>
<p>From my mother to this day: be the best that YOU can be. </p>
<p>This forever lives in my heart. Regardless of how many disagreements we have or how much we both change, this is what I will always remember her for. She always sees the beauty in one’s potential. </p>
<p>From my mom: trust, understanding and forgiveness.
From my dad: Failure is not the end; life is full of do-overs. </p>