Motherly Advice

A little over six months ago, I noticed a woman on the bus who reminded me very much of my dear mother who I lost 3 years ago. Her beautiful smooth skin, bright eyes and cheery smile were strikingly similar. And this woman even had the same hairstyle as my mother and her style of dress also reminded me of her. I must have stared at her for at least 10 minutes, reminiscing on how beautiful my mother was and how much I miss her. Well this woman noticed that I was staring at her and struck up a conversation. I told her how much she reminded me of my mother, which started a discussion about family, raising children and memories of loved ones.

I saw her again on the bus today, and she looked radiant and positive, as always. She asked me about my son and then, seemingly out of the blue, she gave me some motherly advice that I wanted to share. She has raised her grandson, now 28 years old, as if he where her own. She told me that she tells him daily to 'never leave home angry, because you never know if you'll return.' We were talking about how transient life can be, and she spoke from experience when she said that it 'just isn't worth it to be negative or angry at others.' Life's too short. She also stated that at this point in her life, she doesn't entertain people who don't appreciate the value of life, who aren't grateful or who complain. Again, life has more to offer.

So Ms. Maria (pronounced Myra) not only reminded me of my mother's outward beauty, but the loving advice she gave me that guides me to this day. I'm grateful to have run into her on the bus today; I was clearly where I needed to be to receive some needed motherly advice.