Baby Talk | I'm thankful for my mother and her lessons

Recently one of my mother's last friends died. She was 94 and had lived a wonderful life. Her daughter told me she started writing down "things my mother taught me." That made me start thinking about what my mother taught me.

All of us agreed that one of the biggest lessons our parents taught us was to respect others, especially our elders. We were taught that you always address someone else's parents with the title Mr. or Mrs. I never called them Laura, Rhelda, Elvera, Adeline, Stacie, Helen or Mary. Even as an adult they were still Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Hueberger, Mrs. Bouziane, Mrs. Goulash, Mrs. Cadoret and Mrs. Birdsall.

My mother and father taught me not only by their example, but with phrases. They always had a saying to rely on. The sayings were told to me repeatedly.

We learn through repetition. Repeating phrases is a great way to teach children. I have been writing down sayings that I find myself using. All of them teach important lessons that inspire and guide.

One of my mother's favorite sayings was "Genius is 98 percent perspiration, 2 percent inspiration." Working hard at learning was driven into me. She also told me, "She who aims for a star aims higher far than she who aims for a tree." She was always encouraging me to set high standards, to dream big, set lofty goals.

Of course life has its disappointments. When things would not go my way, she would say: "When it rains it pours." She wanted me to not be discouraged, know that it will stop raining at some point. This was usually followed with "Never, never, never give up." Thank you to Winston Churchill for that one.

Another one in times of disappointment was: "You can't burn a candle at both ends, so pick one."

Then there were the relationship quotes. One of her favorites was "Less said, sooner mended, wise words and true." My parents had many a heated discussion. But at the end of the day they would tell me: "It is OK to fight, but never go to bed angry."

They were the epitome of "always be generous and kind." If someone came over and it was time for us to eat, my mother would whisper, "FHB (family hold back)." The other saying was "It's a night for potatoes and point." Potatoes and point came from her parents who had immigrated here from Ireland. If there wasn't enough fish or meat, they would eat their potatoes and point to the protein, making believe they were eating protein. If a guest was at the table, we would defer to the guest to enjoy the tastiest part of dinner.

She taught me to always take care of my physical well being by reminding me, "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." She loved learning and reminded me constantly that:books are your friends. When dealing with difficult situations or people she would advise me, "You get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar." The expression, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," taught me early that my behavior, my physical presentation is being watched by others. Practical advice was "waste not, want not."

This week of Thanksgiving I am thankful for all the wonderful lessons these phrases taught me. I am thankful for my wonderful parents and their wonderful friends. Miss them all.

When I look at my hands now, I see my mother's hands. I can only hope and pray that they are as kind, generous and wise as my mother's hands were. Thank you, Michael and Kathleen Murphy for raising me with your wisdom and love.

Katie Powers, R.N., is a board-certified lactation consultant and perinatal educator at Manatee Memorial Hospital's Family BirthPlace. Contact her at katie.powers@mmhhs.com.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Baby Talk | I'm thankful for my mother and her lessons ."