A Grandmothers Advice To Her Family
Dear Dr. LeCrone:
My grandmother was a wise woman who successfully lived through some pretty difficult times. Her outlook on life generated a lot of good recommendations that she passed on to her children and grandchildren. I, in turn, would like to pass on some of her advice in hope that it may help someone else.
We all learned that attempting to change things over which you have no control is not a healthy approach to life. She told us “Worrying about something that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans can make a person sick.”
One of her gifts to us was her conviction that satisfaction in life comes from family and friends rather than money and things. In the eulogy at her funeral she was quoted as saying, “Money can be here today and gone tomorrow, but good friends and kin folk can be with you till the day you die.”
She believed strongly that intuition is a gift that could be of great assistance in life. She often said “Pay attention to your hunches and gut feelings. These guesses can steer you away from trouble and into good fortune.”
She taught us that before replacing or discarding worn items such as clothing, furniture, and mechanical devices, we should try mending or fixing them. Her motto was “If it isn’t broke then don’t fix it, but if it is broken then try to patch it before you trash it.”
Another one of her convictions was that people need to embrace change and avoid stagnancy. She said “Stay out of ruts and don’t wear blinders. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Avoiding the fear of making mistakes was a very important element of her philosophy of life. She imparted to us her adage, “Making mistakes is a chance to learn, to try again, and to get up when you’re knocked down.”
And her strongest belief came from her faith. She said “Someday you will all meet your Maker. Start now and don’t let up living so that when you get to the pearly gates, you will be let in because your apologies are few and your good deeds are many.”
Her home spun philosophy may seem simplistic and uneducated to many but we, her family, have done pretty well with her guidance.
— A reader in Missouri
Dear Reader:
Some of the best teaching comes from words that are plain and simple.
Thanks for the letter.
