A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. Tenneva Jordan
This [quote] is my mother, she is the most generous person I’ve ever known. Generous also in that she is the first to forgive and forget and take the high road. She very rarely gossips and hates it when anyone around her says something bad about someone else. (And we are definitely not allowed to gossip about another sister when she is around–there are 4 of us 🙂
images from flickr
I subscribe to Gwyneth Paltrow’s blog ‘Goop’ and a few weeks ago I received a great post about gossip. She once asked the editor of a tabloid newspaper why all the stories about a famous British couple had a negative bent. He said that when the headline was positive, the paper didn’t sell.
My mom & 3 sisters at her 60th Birthday Party
She also included the best definition of gossip I’ve ever heard from the prophet Mohammed; Gossip is saying anything about anyone which, if they were to hear you say it, they would be hurt and you would be ashamed.
Words to live by. Happy Mother’s Day mom, you are the best mom in the world!
Related posts:
Happiness is. . . a Happy Wife (every man should read this one)
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great topic maria!
remember from the wisdom course, the definition of gossip: anything said about another human being without first having it communicated to them and having them approved your sharing of it.
now obviously, everyone can relate to negative gossips: should you have something to complain about someone, they are the one person who you should communicate it to. there is no power in talking about it with other people that can’t do anything about it.
but what impact does saying something positive about someone has if you don’t actually communicate it to them? often you hear people raving about another person, and you are left with a beautiful impression, so what can be wrong with that? how about, you are depriving someone of a beautiful acknowledgement!
so on this mother’s day weekend, if you find yourself sharing how amazing your mom is… pick up the phone and tell it directly to her! you can never over-acknowledge someone! 🙂
Guylaine,
Beautifully said, thank you for your contribution!
Maria
I’d be…like…pie….no pie here. LOL…then eat all the pieces myself.
My dad is one of 9 kids, and my nana only ate what was left over, after they all had their fill…and most are boys. My x mother in law only ate the broken cookies…that’s mother’s for ya.
Why we sacrifice so much, only to have them hate us when they are teens, I’ll never know. Grandkids? Love…definately.
Maria,
What a special mom you have. As mom’s we know the sacrifice and lovingly do so. Kids don’t realize until they are older. Remember always what Mom’s teach us, “if you cannot say something nice, do not say it at all!”
Blessings…
Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there.
As I always tell my husband….Happy Life….Happy wife!!!!
ooops….Happy wife…happy life sorry !!
Great post, and particularly liked the bit on gossip. I am trying to teach my oldest daughter about email etiquette, and told her that she should never write something about someone else that she would not want them to read.
Happy Mother’s Day to you moms (of all ages) out there!
I can relate to the gossip talk, I hate it first of all and our teen daughter has to deal with it all the time. Girls are so much more inclined to do it, since they are more verbal then the boys, but what I see more often women my age doing it. It is sad and often mistaken for networking…
Anyway, great post and you are lucky to have such a wonderful mother!
PS:
The New York Times Book Revue wrote yesterday about Aylet Waldman’s essays on marriage vs. motherhood called ‘Bad Mother’, it is worth reading!
XX
Victoria
you made me realize another reason why my mother was so amazing — she, too, never gossiped. Thanks for the post.
Wonderful post, Maria – your Mom sounds wonderful!
Victoria @ DesignTies
My mom was totally flattered by your comment!! Happy mother’s day to your mom!
Your Mom certainly did a wonderful job.
She sounds like an amazing woman.
I think we all know the hurt of gossip as well as the guilt of realizing that we have participated in hurting someone else by gossiping about them.
As a mother, I hope that I teach my children this lesson as well as your mother has taught you.
xo
Brooke
As a Mom, our job is never done. We have days of wanting to surrender and raise the flag, but we manage to keep going for our children. The more we focus on love, the more love we create, where there is hatred, we continue to put love. Love is after all is being a Mom. You shared so many great quotes.
(but you did not hear that from me, I am not one to gossip! 🙂
Tell your Mom she deserves an award for “raising gorgeous girls – inside and out!”
pve
What a beautiful family! i was just saying the exact same thing about my mom – good luck to you if you ever “dissed” someone in HER family! boy. never, ever, ever do that!!
Maria, what a very beautiful family photo and wonderful tribute to your mother !
Shalom !