Mother's Say

This weekend is Mother's Day, and I feel the same way as I do about Valentine's Day; you can't make up on one day for pissing me off the other 364. But if you get me an Egg McMuffin on Sunday, we can call it even.
My friend, Big Liver Girl, once noted that a mother will appreciate a gift of effort more than a gift of money, and she is dead right. I once made my mother into a puddle of tears over a CD slide show of her and the grandbabies, and you know if you can make your mother cry you have won the lottery in terms of gift-giving.

My mother is a very smart woman, with a good deal of common sense, and I'm sure I rolled my eyes and sighed at most of the stuff she told me over the years. But really, I was paying attention all along. So, here is my Mother's Day present to my mother: You were right.

Things My Mother Told Me That Stuck:

• It costs nothing to be polite. Being rude will gain you nothing.
• Never wear brown shoes with a black skirt
• Once you put your clothes on, you should be able to forget about them. If you are uncomfortable, you won't be able to enjoy yourself.
• Consider the source. If someone tells you something bad that someone else said about you, it says more about the first person than the second.
  
• Always send a thank you note. No one ever hated getting a thank you note.
  
• Keep your cool. When you lose your temper, you've lost control of the situation, and now the focus shifts from the actual problem to you.
• Learning to cook is one of the most valuable skills you will ever have. You'll always want to eat, right?
• Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
• Live within your means.
• There always has to be one adult in the room.
  
• There aren't too many people in jail with Mensa cards in their back pockets.
• The cemetery is full of "indispensable" people. A job is a job, no matter how important. If you stopped coming in tomorrow, the place would still function without you. The same cannot be said for home.
• Always remember to put the sugar into the rhubarb pie.
  
• Sometimes your best won't be good enough, and that's okay. Knowing you did do your best is sometimes all you get.
• Treat everyone you meet with dignity and respect.
• Tight pink satin is never, ever the right choice.

Happy Mother's Day!