Quotes From Mom
"Nothing Great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson
The family didn't know this, but before my mother passed away a few years ago, she went behind her children's backs and did something sneaky. She ordered Christmas gifts for her kids and grandkids about nine months in advance.
"Two road diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Robert Frost
My mom was sick and things weren't looking good. My cousin had a business at the time doing vinyl lettering and my mom and she got together and picked out individual saying for her three children and all her grandchildren and had them mounted on wood and granite tiles.
"To become a real boy you must prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish." Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi
Only a few knew she did this. Five months after her funeral the family gathered at another cousin's house for a Christmas party and that's when the presents were handed out. My mom took quotes and matched them to each of us, a saying that somehow matched our different personalities.
We found an incredible place to hang ours--in between the large windows of our front room. I love the one she picked for me, a quote from C.S. Lewis, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." At the time I was about halfway through my masters program and the quote was perfect. I've since finished my degree and the saying still seems to match in many ways.
We have hanging in our house gifts that bring back memories of her, gifts that are individual and unique. I only wish we could have thanked her in person. But, I'm sure she knows how we feel...
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