Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmas, and great grandmas out there today! I decided this morning to write a post about the things I learned from my mother. She’s been a mom for 30 years now, and that means 30 years of life lessons for me.

These are of course, by no means exhaustive and in no particular order…

- No matter what your dream is, you have to give it a try. You might not get there, and you might only get to live in that joy for a short period of time, but your life will be better for chasing the dream.

- The stroke of the back of your index finger (primarily between the first and second knuckle) on the temple of a child will soothe them to sleep. This works even when they’re an adult, and you can have fun testing it any time you want, because you’re the mom.

- Making things is fun. Teaching a child to appreciate the beauty in art, and how to make their own art as an expression of themselves will be something they carry with them for life. Artists are never satisfied with their work, so they’re constantly striving to make something better the next time - which carries on into all aspects of life and forces them to strive for growth and to better themselves. Stop creating and you stop growing as a person. (Gee, I wonder if this has anything to do with my being a web designer who changes her own websites like her underwear?)

- Family is so vital to who you are. My mom is the baby of 8 children, and grew up barely knowing her older siblings (there are decades between them). I have aunts and uncles and cousins it’s taken me nearly all my life to meet, but even the very first time in doing so, I felt the connection to them. I miss them all the time, and look forward to opportunities to spend time with them. I have cousins I’ve known all my life who don’t always make that effort to get to know the rest of our family, and it’s beyond me as to why. I cherish my family, and the more time I get to spend with them, the more I learn about myself - every time. It’s wonderful to share that with my mom.

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