Thanks, Mom, For Teaching Me Love And Kindness

We all know people who have come in and out of our lives saying or doing just the right thing, at just the right time. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Some of these wonderful messengers and wayshowers may stay in our lives, or leave just as quickly as they came.

I have had several experiences with such earth angels. When I think of ‘earth angels,’ I think of one person in particular: my mother. She taught me many things that have helped me so much in my life. In particular she taught me the fruits of the spirit by applying them in her own life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Children don’t do what adults say…they do what we do. Parents who are great role models and truly involved in their children’s lives raise kind adults, who in turn gift the same values to their own children. I was very fortunate to have a mother who didn’t leave me to fend for myself when I was growing up. She was very active in my life and taught me to be kind and courteous to everyone; to respect the elderly; and to always smile and be positive because we attract what we put out in the world.

My mother also made sure that we ate all our meals at the table until we left home as young adults. My husband pointed out once that when my mother calls us, she always asks how everyone is, not just me. She is very supportive and interested in how everyone is doing. I know a lot of people like her who would walk right up to you and give you a hug and ask you how you are.

My mother has a special charisma about her, a true essence of caring, compassionate energy. Whenever we talk, we don’t even have to think about it, we always say “I love you” when we say goodbye or before we hang up.

No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother’s love.  It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star ~ Edwin Hubbell Chapin

When I first met my husband, it was very difficult for him to express his feelings through verbalization. Just saying “I love you” was not the norm for him. It was uncomfortable, as he described it. He just wasn’t used to it. Well, he married an Italian and we don’t hold back on the affection!Today, he is  able to say I love you and he says it often.

This has extended to my clients as well. I have helped my clients see that they too deserve to be told that they are loved and have shared with them ways that they too can get their spouses and partners to open up and be more relaxed about expressing their feelings.

There are no guarantees in life, and if you don’t say “I love you” to those who mean the most to you, you may never have the opportunity to do so again. Just as a cat purring is good for stress, expressing love is good for the heart. So enjoy these free things that are good for you.

I dedicate this blog post to my mother and all the mothers out there who do so much for their children and know the importance of showering them with love and being present. It is the greatest gift they can give their children to grow into compassionate adults. Mothers are the backbones of their families. Thank you moms!