Thank You, Mom! You Shaped Me!

Happy Mothers Day – 2012!

My mother was a piece of work. She bought me a $10 used bicycle and a large basket when I was ten years old and pushed me out the door to go door-to-door selling boxes of all occasion greeting cards to make extra money. There were 21 cards in a box for $1.00. She put together a make-shift accounting method so I could know when I needed to order new merchandise and how much I was making per item sold. I became immune to the fear of selling door-to-door.

The Jarvis Family – Circa 1945. Mary, Jack, Carol Jean & Larry

My allowance was $1.00 a week (and I had to earn it) which I spent going to lunch in town (@ Frank & Elan Bartley’s Cafe, Owingsville, KY) with my school friends instead of eating in the school cafeteria. Back then, you could get a bottle of soda (Ale-8 One – This soft drink has been bottled in Winchester, KY since 1926 and is the only soft drink invented in Kentucky that is still in existence.) and two hot dogs for 25¢. (Opps! I think I’m dating myself!).

My mother encouraged me to become an entrepreneur before I knew what the word meant. She taught me to be grateful for the things we had, which wasn’t much back then. To be consistent and to be on time – “Being on time is a sign of respect,” she would say.

She was innovative. She taught a kids class in my father’s church in Owingsville, Kentucky. She would cut out pictures from magazines, paste flannel on the back of the photos and stick them to a “flannel board” to illustrate while she told the children a Bible story. We didn’t have Velcro back then.

She kept everything. Well, not everything. When she died, I was amazed to find all the letters I wrote her when I was in the Navy in a box in her attic.

I am where I am today because of my amazing Mom. She always had a listening ear. I am grateful for my mother. I am grateful that she put up with me. That she loved me in spite of my crazy teenage years. My mother died many years ago and she is missed.

It wasn’t only my mother who shaped me. My father, who was a minister, did his best to keep me in line – not an easy task, I might add. I was a typical “preacher’s kid” – ornery as hell.

Comments are encouraged. How has your mom’s (or dad’s) support shaped who you are as a person?

BONUS Article:Things My Mother Taught Me

Copyright © 2012 – Larry James. This idea is adapted from Larry’s books, “How to Really Love the One You’re With: Affirmative Guidelines for a Healthy Love Relationship,” “LoveNotes for Lovers: Words That Make Music for Two Hearts Dancing” and “Red Hot LoveNotes for Lovers.” Larry James is a professional speaker, author, relationship coach and an award winning nondenominational Wedding Officiant. He performs the most “Romantic” wedding ceremony you will find anywhere.Something NEW about relationships is posted every 4th day on this Relationships BLOG.

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