In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked our readers what they have learned from their moms.
• How to laugh, be a good mom and cook.
• Unconditional love.
• My mother had a hard life and struggled with mental illness and alcoholism. I saw how those things prevented her from being the amazing and creative person I could always see in her, even as a young child. Because of this, I learned to stay away from alcohol, and I learned to face my own struggles head on and to heal them rather than medicate them.
• Compassion for everyone and everything around us.
• Never trust a man who doesn’t love his mother.
• Creating and making stuff – art and music – is the center of the universe. I also learned how to cross a four-lane highway by the time I was 10 and to never accept rides from strangers.
• How to cook on a budget.
• Everything in moderation, including moderation. And where there’s a will, there’s a way.
• Independence and to always be thankful!
• Happiness is a choice.
• To never complain about your circumstance because someone is always worse off than you are. Be strong and never give up.
• Keep it light, and laugh often.
• To be strong, hard working and resourceful.
• Don’t be a jerk.
• Just put one foot in front of the other, doing the right thing, being kind and your life will be a success.
• That there is always room for one more at the table.
• Speak truth to power.
• No problem is so great that it cannot be solved.
• Let yourself belly laugh when you feel it.