Happy New Year.
I hope that 2009 brings you lots of love, peace, health, happiness and prosperity. I, for one, am glad to see 2008 go. I am feeling hopeful as we enter 2009.
The holidays were a little rough for me. My 83 year old Mother who suffers from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – meaning that her lungs are shot) had emergency surgery on her intestines twice. At one point, it appeared as if we were going to lose her. Her priest even administered the last rites on December 30. Somehow she pulled through.
She now faces a couple of months of rehab before she’ll be able to go home. But for now at least, she is still with us.
My Mom is pretty cool. She spends a lot of time on the internet. On several occasions, she has expressed a desire to become an internet marketer. This fall, she and I discussed writing an eBook highlighting what she has learned in life. We got started on the project, but decided to put it on hold for the holidays. I’m not sure when we’ll get back to it. However, today I thought I’d share the key points she wants to make in the eBook.
As we begin 2009, here’s what Henrietta Bilanich, my Mom, The Common Sense Mom, says she has learned about life:
• Make Faith, Hope and Love your priority.
• Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
• First impressions are not always the best.
• Be ready to accept change, good or bad.
• Never spread a rumor. Once you do you can't call it back.
• Always live by the Golden Rule.
For now I'll leave it at that. I will be interviewing my Mom to flesh out these ideas and to provide you with the stories behind why she chose these six items as the most important lessons she has learned in her 83 years.
Thanks for reading. I really appreciated all of your support and comments in 2008. My goal for 2009 is to make this blog more interactive. I want to turn it into more of a dialogue, where we can all share ideas. Together, we can become a strong learning community.
Bud
Sorry to hear about your Mom Bud, hope all’s going in the right direction. She sounds like a real character!
Have a great New Year, and thanks for some cracking articles in 08.
Thanks for your comment Steve:
My mother is indeed a character. Yesterday she told me that she has received the last rites three times — we joked that she is in the running to set a world record.
When she recovers enough to handle 1/2 hour to one hour phone conversations, I will get busy interviewing her to begin the eBook writing process.
Thanks for your continuing support. I hope that 2009 brings you lots of peace, love, health, happiness and prosperity.
All the best,
Bud
Bud,
Sorry to hear about your mom, but I’m happy to hear you are preserving her wisdom. Unfortunately, I lost my parents and grandparents before I realized what a gift their accumulated knowledge would have been.
Best wishes for a great 2009. I look forward to your columns and the new projects!
Ben
Ben:
Thanks for your comment. I am sorry your parents and grandparents passed on so early. My Mother is a common woman, but she has shared some uncommon wisdom with me.
I will fo my best to meet your expectations in 2009. Please keep comenting.
All the best,
BB
Bud, sorry to hear about your mother’s health. She sounds like an amazing lady.
Madame Monet
Dear Bud:
Thank you for the update on your mother’s condition, and for sharing her wonderful thoughts.
I think you have the kernel of a wonderful and very-much needed book–and you’re the one uniquely qualified to bring it to life.
Best wishes for a happy and fulfilling 2009 for you and your family.
Your blog is one of the few that I religiously look forward to reading.
Roger
Roger:
Thanks for your kind words and well wishes Roger. I hope that 2009 brings you lots of love, peace, health, happiness and prosperity.
BB
Madame Monet:
How are things in the Middle East? I hope you had a nice holiday season and that 2009 brings you peace, love, health, happiness and prosperity.
I appreciate your best wishes for my Mom’s health. She is pretty tough and seems to be on the road to recovery.
BB