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My mother used to tell me to stand up straight and tall; don't slouch. It is one of the many memories I have of my mom and the things she told me.
 
To me, standing up straight and tall was and is a confidence thing. To hold my head up high signifies to me, feeling good about myself and being proud of who I am.
 
Many times I second guess myself or think that others are criticizing me in some form. This undermines my co Firenze. So, to be told to "not sloych" is a good reminder for me to be my own person and to be proud of who I am.
 
There are many who fight the same internal fight; the fight to gain self-confidence. I am not alone in this fight within.
 
Standing tall makes me think of a princess
 
learning to be queen, walking with a book on top of her head.
 
Standing tall is a habit. Practicing and concentrating on it starts out difficult, but like many things in life, gets easier and easier the more you practice it.
 
Another thing my mom used to tell me was to sit still. As children we all struggle with sitting still. We have too many places to be, too many things to do, too many people to see. Life is busy. Even as we get older, sitting still doesn't get any easier. Life has too much coming at us from all directions. This may well be another habit that I still - after more than 50 years - struggle with. My days are filled to the brim between work and family and friends and leisure. I can barely find the time at the end of the day to wind down to a good night's sleep.
 
Sitting still may not always be a good thing. From sitting still may creel in laziness which is not a good quality to have. The challenge is to find a good balance between being busy and sitting still.
 
One of my hobbies is art and it requires time to sit still, to reflect and to put one's heart into what one is doing instead of always thinking about what is next.
 
My mom's instruction to me, to sit still continues to be a good one for me to as a young child as well as an oder adult.
 
When we are young we don't care much about what our moms say, especially as we embark I to our teenage years, but as we get older, have children of our own and lots of life experiences, we soon realize what good advice our moms gave us.
 
I am very grateful for all the lessons my mom gave me, both in my younger years as well as the advice she gave me as I aged.
 
Thank you mom.

​Now it's your turn...what are some meaningful memories your mom gave you?