Look to the inside
Things are not always as they seem; people are not always as they seem. Look beyond the outside (skin color, shabby clothing, etc.) and find the pearl that may be inside. Treat the maintenance man and the CEO the same way -- with respect. If we all respect one another how much we would all gain. My mother couldn't speak English well, couldn't write English well (wrote phonetically), but taught me that one can learn so much from everyone you meet in life. Smile and enjoy the journey.
--Trice Gately, Paramus, N.J.

Think before you speak
"Engage your brain, before opening your mouth"! My Mom is now having some of her own difficulty with this mantra, at the young age of 91 she occasionally will run in to a problem with friends because she is so honest! Naturally, being raised in a Southern home, we were all taught to mind our manners and the only thing I used to get in trouble for was you guessed it, "Little James, Your Mouth will be the Death of You." We still laugh about this and many other memories. I cherish each day I'm able to take 10 minutes and just give her a call to see how her day is going.
--Jimmie M. Turenne, Glastonbury, Conn.

Little things special
My mother taught me to make every day special and to be as creative as possible in the effort. I can remember so many little things that, in retrospect, made my life a little better, a little more fun, and a little happier. I can remember breakfast on various St Patrick's Day with pancakes dyed green with food coloring. I remember a pizza with blue crust (to celebrate Paul McCartney's birthday -- blue was supposedly his favorite color). Another fun thing she did was to do a quick sketch on my brown paper lunch bags -- the sketch was a puzzle to determine what I had for lunch that day (for example, a pig laying on an ironing board -- pressed ham sandwiches!) I can remember being surrounded by friends at the lunch table, all wanting to guess my lunch that day!

Those are the things I remember best, not what I got for Christmas, or some show we attended. It was the little everyday things that made our lives anything but everyday! In turn, I have followed faithfully my mother's path to genuine happiness and caring in our family, and it is just as appropriate today as it was when I was a child. I knew I was loved, and in turn, was able to pass the love on to my two children.
--Geri Bleau, Waveland, Miss.

A Southern Lady
My mother is truly a Southern Lady and she brought my sister and me up in the same southern fashion. "A lady never paints her toenails," which I do but I still feel just a little bit naughty. "A lady never brushes her hair or puts on lipstick in public." But her most famous lessons are "A lady only chews gum in the privacy of her boudoir." At 45 and 46 years old, my sister and I still do not chew gum in public. Mom is one of my best friends and I hope I will always be the lady she taught me to be.
--Phylis Walker Lovell, Memphis, Tenn.

Love and guidance
My mother was a very strong woman who reared up four children by herself with enormous help from her mother grandma) who babysat with us in order for my mother to work and provide us with food, clothes, etc. We grew up in a broken home as they say, since our father left us and didn't help us in any way.

There was no such thing as child support in my days. A mother's love and guidance was the greatest achievement in her days with her family. My mother always taught us to help anyone in need. If people came over for a visit she would always have a little more of everything just in case someone dropped by unexpectedly. My mother is 81 years old and just as great as always. May God bless her as there is no one like her.
--Haydee Sevilla, Tampa, Fla.

Putting education first
Get your degree. My mom quit her senior year in college to get married and have a family. She always regretted it. She said I don't care if you did ditches, you'll be doing it with a degree and one day if you don't want to dig ditches the degree will get you in the door. She was right. I'm a petroleum engineer and my four siblings have their degrees also. My sister, the housewife, has a master's in industrial safety.
--Kristy Allman Monk, Ohio

Move away from trouble
Get out of here. I was 18 and involved with a guy about 25 and not from the best family. I listened and joined the Army. About 25 years later this guy was sitting in a bar hitting on my 21 year old niece. Mom gave me good advice.
--Mary Eileen, Spring Hill, Fla.

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