Christmas Card Wisdom

When I was cleaning out my mom's apartment, I saved a Christmas card cover that she had taped to her kitchen cupboard. Mom used it as a daily reminder of how she wanted to live.  I am now using that card as my reminder.  The verse is a series of one-line statements about friendship, love, gratitude and more.  Mom embodied all of those jewels of wisdom:  She always gave a soft answer, laughed easily, kept her word, shared what she had, found the time to be present to others, listened with her whole being, and loved being around children and youth.  It was she who taught me to appreciate nature. As I stand alone now as the only one left in my small family tree, I feel almost an urgency to keep that Christmas card close at hand and to live its verses to the best of my ability.  In so doing, I hope to honor who Mom was and how she chose to live, and hopefully model how she would want me to live my life.