What could be better on the Fantastic Friday before Mother’s Day than a look back at this post from 2013. These 7 lessons taught to me by Dorothea Lorraine Hess Stratton are ones that have made a huge difference in the way I live. Thanks, Mom!
My mom raised 3 kids and taught school for 38 years. She’s a mom and a teacher through and through…still asking if I get enough protein and correcting my grammar during our Tuesday visits. The older I get, the more I appreciate the life lessons she taught and is still teaching me. In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m passing along some of those lessons to you.
Lesson #1: A strong family will be a constant support throughout life.
As a teenager, Mom babysat many of her nieces and nephews. Those nieces and nephews open their homes to her whenever we travel back for funerals or reunions. Their love and respect for her is a touching tribute to her influence on their lives.
Lesson #2: Every woman should get an education so she can support herself.
Mom’s 4 year college graduation
Mom’s Masters in Education Graduation
Mom went back to school to finish her 4 year degree after Dad was diagnosed with MS in the late 1950s. She went on for her Master’s Degree in the mid 1960s. Our lives would have been very different had she not pursued those degrees.
Lesson #3: Some school pictures should never see the light of day.
Thanks to this lesson, some of mine never will.
Lesson #4: Sewing = an inexpensive wardrobe
Once you know how to sew, you can also be your own polyester fashion statement. And don’t forget, some of the best buys are found in the remnant bin.
Lesson #5: The library is an excellent place to hang out
Carnegie Library from my childhood, now a Fine Arts Center.
Mom checked out a lot of books and taught her kids to love to read. This photo is a little ironic since I’m selling my books in about the same spot where we checked them out for free when I was a kid.
Lesson #6: Teaching Is More than a Job
Mom and me at the party thrown by my co-workers when I left teaching.
Teaching is not just a way to support your family. It’s a way to inspire a new generation and help them realize their own potential.
Lesson #7: True love never fails
Mom cared for Dad at home from 1959 when he was diagnosed with MS until 1983 when he required nursing home care. Once he moved to the nursing home, Mom visited him daily, unless she was visiting her kids and grandkids, from 1983 until his death in 1997.
Every now and then someone asks why I drive 45 miles to visit Mom Tuesday after Tuesday. The answer is simple. It’s what my mamma taught me.
Love bears all things,
hopes all things,
believes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:7–8
