Ten things my mother taught me

A friend and I had an email exchange this week, listing ten things that our mothers had taught us. As a be-lated Mother's Day offering, here is my list:

1) Always have fresh flowers nearby.
2) Always have a book in progress. The more the better. Know librarians by name, wear out your library card, have a well-beaten path to Borders, have a well-used Amazon.com account. You get the idea.
3) If you can laugh, you're already ahead of the game.
4) Life is lived better barefoot.
5) Clean the house? Maybe tomorrow, or for company.
6) Fabric is a fine investment.
7) Beauty can be found in little places (a small painting, a piece of pottery, a wood carving.)
8) Having a cat makes life better.
9) Children are fascinating.
10) Liturgical worship brings stability and peace in a world that is constantly changing.

I can't say I live by all these maxims, but they are part of the "caught and taught" lessons of my childhood. I buy less fabric than she does, clean the house a l.i.t.t.l.e bit more than she did, but I honor her for the example she is to me.