Wise Words

Moms are very wise and pass on invaluable knowledge to their offspring, sometimes without even realizing it.  

Their words can be loud and clear, directed to us about a particular situation, or the message can come across in a more subtle manner.

        

Some moms, for example, drum into their daughters' heads that they must always wear clean underwear when they leave the house, just in case they get in an accident...one thing would lead to another...someone would inevitably see an unseemly undergarment and think less of mom, for not having raised her daughter right.  

   

Thinking that moms warn their daughters about their underwear always makes me smile, especially now. 

My mom would never have cared if someone saw me in tattered underwear. It wouldn't even cross her mind that someone would make a judgment call about me or my family based on the state of what I'm wearing.  And, if they did, they should be ashamed of themselves, not the other way around.  

There were, however, many other things that were important to my mom, which she hammered into my head. The three Florence Cohen "mom-isms"  which have been swirling around on overtime this past week are:   

1 - Never cross a picket line, under any circumstances.  Even if you don't know about or agree with the picketers, respect what that person/group is trying to accomplish. (I am grateful my mom taught me this).

2 - Always wear orthopedic shoes; at the very least, supportive ones.  My mom made me wear black and white saddle shoes though my youth (very painful!) and, even in recent years, would always state her disapproval when I wore anything else, like flip flops and/or my favorite UGG boots.  Much more concerned with how things look than she, I would cringe when my mom and dad would wear their "custom" shoes, which invariably meant they would be the most hideous-looking I had ever seen.

3 - So as not to catch a cold, she'd tell us two things: 1 - don't ever go outside with a wet head (I am OK with this); and 2 - always wear the same winter coat, regardless of whether the temperature reads 25 or 55 degrees. This never made any sense to me.

By next week I could come up with a hundred other statements she made that come to mind every now and then, but what has made a daily and enormous impact on me are two words I heard her say all the time. 

Whether to the caregivers, wait staff or family (myself included), my mom never failed to show genuine appreciation for help or attention she was given.

 

"Thank You," she'd say, and we knew she meant it, with all her heart.