My mom was kind to everyone.
She never expressed racial or
religious prejudice to me. She
was a peacemaker through and
through, and even when family
members would not speak to
each other, they always had a
good relationship with her. She
loved to gift friends with her
crafts and cooking, showing me
that it isn’t always about buying
gifts, but sharing your heart.
3. SHE TAUGHT
ME TO LOVE
I never doubted for one minute
my mom loved me. She literally
told me every day. As a child,
I never left the room or went
to bed without a hug and a
kiss. And she always asked me,
“Do you know how much I love
you?” It was important to her
that I knew that. On the day
she died, it was one of the last
things she said to me.
lived at). The day before she
died, I took her to see him. I
could see how painful it was for
her and for the first time, she
asked to leave. She couldn’t
bear it any more.
The lessons my mom instilled
in me have gotten me over
some tough hurdles in my life,
including caring for her during
her illness as well as dad’s. He
passed away three months
after her. I am grateful for those
lessons. I have channeled my
inner Mama Bear to protect
my “cub” when need be. I love
having big dinner parties and
inviting people who have never
met each other, to connect and
become friends. I volunteer and
try to smile at everyone I meet.
I am grateful that I grew up
seeing the good in people and
I have a great capacity for love.
I am one of those moms who is
guilty of saying the same things
my mom said. Happily guilty
in this case. My grown son
absolutely knows he is loved. I
make sure to ask him often!
Barbara
Abramson is
the founder
and Chief
Relationship
officer of Making
Meaning
Connections, a workshop and teambuilding company. Barbara works with
corporations, schools, senior centers and
community organizations to help people
connect more deeply to themselves, to
each other, and to the opportunities in
their lives. She’s all about increasing
happiness and profitability, decreasing
bullying and depression by helping
friendships evolve, partnerships develop
and Aha moments occur. Barbara also
enjoys writing. Her words can be found
on The Huffington Post and on The
Good Men Project where she is also an
Editor. You can connect with Barbara at
www.BarbAbramson.com and follow her
on Twitter.
My parents walked through
grocery stores still holding
hands after 50-plus years of
marriage. Although she had
many medical issues that
contributed to her death, I
know seeing my father with
Alzheimer’s broke her heart.
I still have three voicemails
on my phone I can’t delete
because I am afraid to lose
her voice, but in every one,
she asks how my father is.
(He had just been moved to
the Alzheimer’s section of the
Assisted Living Facility they
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