Is a trait that needs exercise in my daily life.  My mother stressed the need to be prepared, prepared for the worst was her thought.  I understand that she was preparing me to cope with what life holds but it also doesn’t create a positive or happy outlook.  Mom felt that preparing for the worst would shield you from the shock of the worst happening and give you the skills to readjust quickly rather then wallowing in the actuality. One learns much from their mother and I learned much from mine.  I feel this preparation for the worst has served me well as I encountered her and my father’s early departure and needed  to absorb the shock and move on quickly as a young mother of 4.  Though out my life I expected one outcome but was prepared for the other because of her wise training.

Including those in my life that had my back and steering clear of those who care little for me or mine was another acute teaching.  She informed me that many people could be an occasion of sin if I followed their evil ways or actions or values.   Instruction was a daily education tool for her with life, religion and viewing people who would stop me, hinder me or fault me.  She had a keen eye of people and kept her thoughts and opinions within her family rather then gossip.  She was a believer of silence in public if a comment wasn’t nice or polite.  But within our family her comments were quick and exact as to the conduct, words and actions of others, usually like most mothers. Today my mind always is intuned to these instructions even though my father tried to candy coat some of her harsh predictions.  Being happy and positive was not an overly emphasized need as she believed the road less traveled and unpaved built character while the easy way was the lazy way.  As this retired bride is finding her way through aging expecting the worse has eased my mind as things have turned out better than I have expected.  I guess I am well prepared for catastrophe and am pretty good in an emergency but have little patience for the small and irritating daily normal of life like poison ivy or the price of gas or interest rates since at the end of our roads it’s the most important things in my life that our Maker will judge me, not my unmade beds or dirty dishes or money in my pocket.  Looking through my mother’s instruction book called Mother Love, I understand from where her thoughts and teaching came.  Inserted in each of her teaching moments was also the need to pray for guidance and when all else failed ask God for help and trust in His intercession.