Life Lessons from Annette Petrick

Annette Petrick hosts a delightful “Consider This” podcast that I get each Sunday morning. I was so moved by one she posted a couple of weeks ago that I asked her if I could use it for my HowWiseThen Mother’s Day blog. She graciously agreed to that, so here is a tribute to the wisdom passed down from mothers to children through the generations. Happy Mother’s Day to women everywhere who nurture children from cradle to well into adult life. Thank you, Annette, for your insights.

Backstory 

In recognition of her fortieth birthday, my daughter wrote a list of the things she has done – significant and ordinary. They tracked a life well lived that produced a mature woman of strength and well-defined values.   It got me thinking.  So much learned and so much left to comprehend.

Life

I was thinking the other day about the things I’ve learned in life so far.

• On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
• I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles four different things – a rainy day…the elderly…lost luggage, or tangled Christmas tree lights.
• I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life.’
• That children grow up much too fast, right before your eyes.
• That it’s a lot better to do it right away than to put it off.
• I discovered that life sometimes gives you a second chance, and sometimes a third and a fourth.
• I believe you should not go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.
• I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it can elude you. But if you focus on family, friends, and the needs of others, happiness will come looking for you.
• I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

P.S.  Learning is essential to our existence. Today’s inclusive culture requires discovering new ways of relating to people, both those who have been staples in our lives and the new acquaintances evolving.  What an exciting time to learn anew and expand our individual worlds.

Thanks for stopping by. In addition to Mother’s Day, this is graduation season. What life lessons have you learned that you’d like to pass along to today’s graduates? How much of your mother’s wisdom has helped you in life? Share the best Mom advice you got that you think others should know. If you got this form a friend, you can sign up for your own free subscription to my weekly articles and/or monthly newsletter at HowWiseThen.I focus on good people doing great things in our global village.

Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures covers the Pilgrim’s escape from England and much more of the interaction between them and the Pokanoket people. Available wherever books are sold in paperback, eBook, and audio.
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