Happy Mother’s Day! In honor of all the ladies who get it done for themselves and their families, I thought of no better way to celebrate than with sharing some lessons from “Wardo-Mom” herself.
1. HUSTLE. My mom is not an internationally known businesswoman, but she taught me how to hustle like no one else. She cleaned houses to help support our family and even my dance studio as a way to barter getting me into lessons. She began taking classes to get her Associate’s Degree when I was in 8th grade, one or two classes at a time, and received her diploma the same year I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree, 9 years later. She has true grit. She doesn’t give up, she plays the long-game; even if it means working her full-time job at the elementary school, side jobs, taking classes, and finding a way to be at every one of my soccer games.
2. VISION IS EVERYTHING. As you can probably tell from my first point ⬆️, you have to see more than what’s right in front of you. My mom worked really hard because she wanted my brother and I to have access to things she couldn’t. She knew what she wanted her life to look like and that didn’t always match reality, until she built it. She knew it would take time and endless energy but that it could be grasped if she mapped it out.
3. REPUTATION MATTERS. My mom is well-known in my hometown. She is on nonprofit boards, volunteers for community causes, and checks in on many people. She’s constantly asked to help on projects because people know what she’s made of. They know her character and her follow through. That she will be their hardest worker, do it right, and have a great attitude the whole time. Everyone wants her on their team.
4. PRAY. My mom prays for ev-ery-thing. All the time. When I was upset about something when I was little (or now), she’s stops what we’re doing and prays about it. She kept my half-used school notebooks as her prayer journals. Filling spiral-bound, full pages of detailed matters she’s praying for and comes back to it when it’s answered. Yes, she prays for parking spots. But she also prays for people in need, for our lives, the world, and for wisdom. Whether you’re a faith person or not, if you’re from my town, you know you can ask her to pray for you and she will do it. And even if you’re not a faith person, you’ve probably wondered if there’s validity to it by her life and how it gives credibility.
5. JOY. My mom radiates joy. She smiles everywhere she goes. She loves celebrating people, bringing them chocolate chip cookies. And, she gasps out of excitement more than anyone on the planet, especially when people she loves walk into a room.
These lessons from my mom are a small part of what makes her a fantastic mom and a great woman in general, but having these examples and more everyday shaped me. There are, of course, many other things I could list. But these are rare gems rolled into one person, especially when you’re from a small, blue-collar town and life could be easily decided for you.
Thanks mom for being a great example to me and so many others. You’ve made us better.
Amanda Woods 