My Mother said

from the wisest woman to ever walk the earth…

Things My Mother Said

That changed my life, saved my life, or made it worth living

Anyone who’s been around more than about an hour knows how often I quote something my father said. But, I really did learn a lot from my mother. Decided to write down specific quotes I could remember. Some are not particularly original with her, but I first heard it from her.

Something we heard just about every Sunday:

   “This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.”

Something she’d say when facing difficult decisions:

   “If only we KNEW what to do, we could do That.”

Know this is original because I only heard it once; but never forgot it (particularly as my children grew-up):

   “No mater what happens, no matter what you do; I’ve been there.”

She said this more than once; somehow, though, I sometimes suspect only to me:

   “Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

Some things we heard I don’t know how often:

   “Of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these ‘it might have been."

   “Intoxicated with the exuberance of youth, drunk on the joy of being young.”

   “Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can; often found in women, never in a man.”

   “All that lives dies; and nothing lives if nothing die”

   “You hate to see your children grow up; but you’d hate it even more if they didn’t.”

   “The hardest thing a mother is called on to do is to let go of their children.”

   “A man will have lust for the lure of his life’s work.”

   “Necessity is the mother of invention, laziness is its father.”

More than once she said:

   “The only constant is change.”

But, she also said:

   “The more things change the more they remain the same.”

One thing I’ve repeated at least once every Christmas:

   “Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas; wherever the spirit of Christmas is, Santa Claus is”

The greatest truth learned from her which I’ve re-learned every year:

   “After you get out of high school every year will have one less day.”

One last thing – in the era of Covid-19 constantly I hear her say:

   “Did you wash your hands?”