Has anyone ever communicated your gifts and potential so clearly to you that it profoundly influenced your life…that it helped define who you are today?
So many kids, today, are trying to create an identity for themselves because they don’t know who they are. They’re trying to do it through body piercings, tattoos, clothing, cars or recreating themselves on MySpace or Facebook. They need to hear us affirm and validate them for who they are…a masterpiece…a unique creation with infinite value, dignity and worth.
In Ken Blanchard’s words, “It might sound slightly bizarre, but one of the key beliefs for effective leadership is to be madly in love with all the people you are leading…I think people are motivated to be magnificent only when the person who is leading them is ‘in love’ with them.”
I’ll bet most of you guys have told someone in the last week how busy you are. I’ll also bet that a lot of your children, like mine, are scrambling from one activity to another after school and on weekends. Your busy schedule, plus your child’s busy schedule equals missed opportunities to enjoy life and each other. We need to start saying “no” to more things outside the home and “yes” to more things inside. We need to stop the fast forward button in our lives and hit the play button. Wrestle on the floor with your children. Build a fort in the backyard with your son. Have a pretend tea party with your little girl. My kids love it when the “tickle monster” shows up. I chase them around the house, catch them, and tickle them. Just enjoy being with them doing what they like to do. Make time for them… you’ll be glad you did.
A young, awkward boy grew up in southern California, plagued by a learning disability that in later years would be called dyslexia. But with his mother’s encouragement and admonishment, he became a strong and capable leader. Years later he was commanding thousands of young Americans in war. When General George S. Patton (old “Blood and Guts”) found himself in North Africa grappling with the German Army, his thoughts on the battlefield were often of his mother. It was his mother, he often told colleagues, who ingrained in him the leadership qualities that he was to become so famous for. His only regret was that he never expressed sufficient appreciation to her. “Darling Mama,” he began in a letter he wrote after her death, in words that pained him, “You are still very near. I never showed you in life the love I really felt nor my admiration for your courage.”
I hope you don’t have to ever write that kind of letter to your mom. Take time now to reflect on the power she has had in your life – and thank her.
Katharine Martha Houghton was an independent woman, born on February 2, 1878. She studied at Bryn Mawr College before marrying Dr. Thomas Norval Hepburn. They built a loving home where they raised their six children – Tom, Dick, Bob, Marion, Peg and Katharine. They gave their children a love for music, literature and the theater. Daughter Katharine in particular took to the theater, and her mother nourished the interest. Later, when Katharine Hepburn became a big-screen movie success, she credited her mother’s fire and spirit with helping her find her way. She remembered: “Mother with her real savvy for life. She adored us. She was deep. She was witty. Some say I am like her. I hope so, I’d be so proud.”
Marthan Ellen was born in 1852 and experienced the Civil War, plagues, floods, and droughts during her life. Through it all, she took diligent care of her children. One young, incorrigible son was particularly touched by his mother’s care and love. From his mother, Harry S. Truman learned his love for music, a commitment to hard work, and honesty. Once in the White House he was asked to describe the greatest influences on his life. He answered without hesitation that he was “his mother’s son.” Mattie did live to see her son in the Oval Office. Years later Harry S. Truman said of his mom, “Everything had changed around her, but Mamma Truman had never changed….Her philosophy was simple. You knew right from wrong and you did right, and you always did your best. That’s all there was to it.”
As I’ve asked you to do for the last couple of days – take some time now to reflect on the power your mother has had in your life – and thank her.
History knows her as the Iron Lady. But when Margaret Roberts was a young girl growing up in England, she had a soft heart that was profoundly influenced by her mother Beatrice. This homemaker and part-time dressmaker shaped and molded her daughter, sparking an interest in people and public affairs. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher later noted in her memoirs, “Like many people who live for others, she made possible all that her husband and daughters did. Her life had not been an easy one…it was from my mother that I inherited the ability to organize and combine so many different duties of an active life.
Take a little time – right now – and reflect on the power your mother has in your life… and thank her for it.
Well, Mother’s Day is less than a week away. In honor of that very special holiday, I’ll be posting a new blog each day this week about moms – specifically the power of a mother. Each day I’ll highlight a famous person and how their mother impacted them in a huge way. Be sure to check back in each day for the latest story of a great mom!
The Power of a Mother Pt. 1
Jennie was an engaging woman who married into the British aristocracy. Yet, for her, marriage was not fancy balls and high society. Her husband suffered from a serious mental illness and his emotional neglect for his children was real. But Jennie worked hard to develop strength and character in her children. Her son became legendary for both. In 1940 Winston Churchill faced the Nazi military juggernaut alone. American and Russia had yet to enter the war, and his fortitude came from a surprising source. During those years his thought were often of his mother and the way in which she handled the challenges and difficulties that had plagued her life. “My mother made a brilliant impression upon my childhood’s eye,” he wrote in his memoirs My Early Life. “She shone for me like the Evening Star.”
Take some time now to reflect on the power the power your mother has in your life — and thank her.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and your children’s teachers might be wondering, “Am I making a difference?” Our motherhood program,iMOM, has a great way of letting them know they are! You can tell them how much you appreciate them Monday through Friday with these printableappreciation notes (one for each day of the week!) or theseeasy homemade gifts and gift ideas. Teachers need all the support we can give.
Almost all of us remember a special teacher who taught us something we have carried throughout our lives. In honor of them, spend just a few minutes thinking about the extraordinary contribution teachers make.
Most professions have their defining characteristics, which attract people for various reasons, and most have a mold into which they easily fit. Some professions draw public attention like a warm watermelon draws flies. Other professions are obsessed purely with profits. But teaching is one profession that doesn’t fit so readily into any mold. It offers a rainbow of experiences that attracts a varied and diverse group of individuals. But there are some things that most teachers do share. They are too often under-paid, under-appreciated and rarely recognized. That’s an unfortunate reality when you consider the incredible power a teacher can bring to a child’s life. These dedicated professionals shape minds, stretch imaginations, challenge thinking and mold character. Teachers help build the legacy that will lead our nation into the future.
So as we begin to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, think about the instructors who impacted your life — the teacher who inspired you into a position of leadership, the teacher who dared you to be a pilot, or the teacher who directed you to be a computer programmer. Remember the teacher who tapped into your musical talent; the teacher who planted the seed for your business, medical, or legal career; and the teacher who gave you the confidence to excel in sports, and to deal with the difficult problems and challenging people you were sure to encounter.
To the thousands of good teachers across our nation, hats off to you. Yours is a high calling. Please don’t stop. Never give up. If ever we needed you, we need you now.
