10 Lessons I Learned From My Mother

1. Establish and stay connected to a supportive community. My mother is genuinely interested in the welfare of her family and friends. She visits with them as frequently as she can and when visits aren’t possible she calls or writes them. She is a good friend, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt and cousin! She cares for others and they care for her.


2. Have friends of all ages. My mother plays duplicate bridge at least three times a week. This has enabled her to meet lots of new people of varying ages. Her partners have been people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Everyone comments on how sharp and with it my mother is!


3. Strive to be an expert at something. My mother doesn’t just play bridge, she studies it. She takes lessons and makes notes on what she has learned in a big loose-leaf binder. Between bridge sessions she reviews her notes. Whenever we go out together bridge acquaintances will stop to chat with her. Someone always tells me what a good bridge player she is.


4. Be open-minded. My mother and I have different political views. She often asks me about my ideas on a topic even though she knows we will disagree. She is always respectful of my views and takes them into consideration when formulating her own. ( I must admit we do often have some heated discussion and in the end we agree to disagree!)


5. Keep traditions alive - My mother has always loved entertaining people. On holidays we always had dinner at her home both while my father was alive and after. Now she lives with me in the summer and when the Jewish holidays arrive in September she always suggests we call my cousin and his wife to come to dinner. This year we entertained my cousin, his wife, his wife’s adult children and their children! She loved every minute of it.


6. Give your time to others. My mother has been a faithful member of her synagogue for over 60 years. During that time she has served on various committees for the Temple and Sisterhood. She also has been an active member the Multiple Sclerosis Organization. In addition she was a wonderful tutor to several children. For years she kept up with the progress of those children who went on to have successful lives. My children and I also benefited by her generosity. When I went to work full time she and my Dad would check on my children after school to make sure they got home from school and were working on their homework.

7. Stay up to date on current events and business issues. My mother taught me to have an avid interest in the events going on in the world and in business. When we are together we always watch the Nightly Business Review, the local news and the national news on TV.

8. Read Constantly - I can’t remember a time when my Mother didn’t have a book she was reading. She is always looking for recommendations of something good. I share the names (and sometimes the books) of the books my book club is reading. Her friends also tell her what they are reading so she never is without a book. When she isn’t reading a book she is reading the NY Times which she has delivered in Florida and in Massachusetts when she returns in the summer

9. Be thrifty. Don’t buy what you don’t need. Strive to find the best price for the things you need. Never one to miss an opportunity Mom will make a list of what she needs, study the supermarket ads and then go to all 4 super markets in Salem and Swampscott to buy the items that are specially priced that week at each market. She delights in getting a real "bargain" and is sure the super markets are losing money on her!

10. Take good care of your health. Since I was a little girl my mother has taught me that it is important to see the doctor and dentist regularly. She also taught me to eat properly. In fact she has told me many times that I was such a good eater as a young child that other mothers invited me to eat with their children so that their children would be inspired to eat! Later in life when she had health challenges she was quick to adapt her life style to make sure that her health was not compromised. Today we take our Calcium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Multivitamins together.



10 Lessons I Learned From My Mother - To learn more about this author, visit Alvah Parker's Website.

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