Most of all.... Be Happy!

[billryan]

Yesterday would have been my Moms 90th birthday and in her memory, I am going to share a Birthday Card she gave me on my 30th.

Most of all.... Be Happy.

Always see the goodness in this world,
do your part in helping those less fortunate
take the hand of those with less talent
follow those with more knowledge
and be an equal to those who are different.
Discover your purpose and help those who stray
Have the self-confidence to say no when needed
and the strength to stand alone.

Reap the fruits of your talents
walk with pride down the path of life
be humble in your successes and learn from your failures.
Most of all, be happy.
When you are happy, you have the key that will open every door.

[olds442jetaway]

At least I cant argue with your mom. Lots of common sense there. My mom would have recently had her 94th. I have her letters and cards too. Even the ones sent to me long before cell phones in the 1960s at UCONN. Mom was the go to person in my family for advice. Dad was/is the go to person for fixing stuff.

[OTABILL]

Very nice BR. Common sense and good advice. Your mom was obviously a kind and good soul.

[billryan]

My Mom was amazing. She turned down several college scholarships to marry a soldier and pretty much raised us as my Dads career took him all over the world. She was widowed at 37, with three fairly young children and took a job as a part time book-keeper for a local company. About a month in, she pointed out a discrepancy in the way return credits were issued but the boss said not to worry about it. On her own, she took the books home and on Monday she showed him how the company had been cheated out of $20,000 in the last quarter alone. Within five years, she was a partner in one of the biggest building supply companies in Queens and started a Refinancing company that quickly was bought by a bigger firm.
She had a mild case of polio as a kid that affected her left hand and a stroke when she was in her sixties left her right arm pretty useless, but I never once heard her complain. She was legally blind for years, but never let it stop her from anything she wanted.
She was far from perfect, and we fought over things. She pretty much disowned my cousin when he came out as gay, but mellowed over the years and when he and his partner adopted a baby, she welcomed them all back into the family.
She gave me a strong foundation and encouraged me to follow my dreams. Most of my friends and family thought I was nuts to go open a comic book store but once I was able to show her a viable business plan, she got on board.
In her memory, I still donate 10% of my gross sales to St Judes Childrens Hospital.

[olds442jetaway]

BR we have more in common than you would think. My mom married a soldier in World War II. She was a homemaker but ran all of the family finances. She also gave up going on to school even though she was valedictorian in her class. She had a very serious childhood disease as well that left her blind in one eye and other lifelong ailments. She was pretty much the strength of the family. My dad God bless him at 96 is a great guy and brilliant mechanic but left all of the things we have talked about above to mom.

[olds442jetaway]

Forgot to mention BR, St Jude’s is the main charity we give to. I have three very good friends that are nurses and nursing supervisors at Smilow at Yale. They are in the children’s cancer section. Many years ago, my friend and dentist had a disabled son. Once you try and cook on the grill for a hundred disabled kids, and regularly attend their Special Olympics meets, you find a place in your heart and wallet forever to do what you can do for them as well as the ones that may never get well. Going bowling with them as well was a hoot. And yes, they are almost always happy.

[AngelCanada]

i'm partial to shriners hospital for children, supporting them with money the last decade or so. those Shriners commercials with the blankets are a hoot, and those children are brave as heck to be on TV without the selfconsciousness that most of us feel about ourselves and perceived physical flaws. I read a story about several of the kids appearing in the commercials; one girl who lost her arm due to cancer was outfitted by shriners with the latest prosthesis that was developed soley at Shriners in Chicago, and the other two kids are the famous ones who appears in a wheelchair, one of them always wears a bowtie, and they both have the same disease whereby they cannot form bone tissue like normal people. it makes you appreciate what you have and when you see these kids putting up with all that, your own troubles shrink to insignificance.

if and when the pandemic subsides it may be a worthwhile goal to try and actually join the Shriners to be more directly involved than simply sending them money twice a year.

[billryan]

I do enjoy the Shriners commercials.

[Jstark]

I can't stand these beggars on television.

[OTABILL]

We donate to St Judes, Phoenix Children's Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. Mayo clinic is next on my list. It is one thing to see commercials, its another walking through a children's cancer wing. Heartbreaking. However, getting back to the theme of being happy, seeing smiles on the faces of the young patients given all they are going through is both sad and uplifting. Be thankful if you and/or your loved ones are not afflicted.