Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: August 9, 2022
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
-Lao-tzu (Chinese philosopher)
Dear Red Hot Mamas,
Mothers certainly come in all shapes, sizes, and stereotypes. And, hopefully, many teach their children how to be better people.
My mother helped me tackle my problems no matter what the circumstances involved, and she was a driving force in my life. She had “true grit” and always had a way of getting her point across and no matter what she was up against. She also knew how to crack the whip when necessary. So, everything with her was not always sugar and spice.
But as I have grown substantially older, and my own children are fully grown, I have a sincere appreciation for her sage advice, as well as her complete dedication to my well-being. She raised me with a set of rules that I try to live by – and in truth, still live by in fear of violating them.
She always insisted:
“Do the right thing.” This has taught me to act appropriately with the best intentions and to do what is ethical and just.
“Look before you leap.” This taught me to pay attention to the consequences of my actions. And it has helped to make good choices. After all, choices have consequences.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. And treat all people kindly. You have no idea what they may be going through in life.” This taught me to ask myself “how would I feel if someone treated me the way I am planning to treat this person right now?”.
“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” This taught me to simply try to be nice to people and avoid making negative comments. Therefore, I don’t engage in negative commentary that sometimes appears in social media.
“Apologize when you’re sorry.” Whenever I have had to do this, it has helped the person I apologized to feel like they have been valued, heard, and acknowledged.”
“Tell the truth and never lie, cheat or steal.” This has helped me to become trustworthy to others – family, friends, business colleagues and anyone whom I want to build a relationship with.
And, lastly, the funniest rule my dear mother had was “Wear clean underwear. You never know when you might get in an accident”.
If you are a mom, chances are you have a few gems to add to this list of rules and edicts.
In closing, I certainly learned a lot and quite often laughed a lot at the advice my mother had given me. I will always treasure her memorable words of wisdom because I know in my heart that they were shaped by her decades of experiences.
Good Health to You All,
Karen Giblin
