Mom

My mom was a teacher. To teach is to touch a life, and my mom touched lots of lives, myself included. She dreamed of being a dress designer, made many of her own clothes, and even created her own Florida casual wear resort line called “Doodlebugs by Dode.” Her parents encouraged her to get a teaching degree to fall back on. She took their advice, and never looked back.

A home economics graduate, she taught hundreds of teenagers how to cook and sew. In her spare time, after her children were raised, she taught adults, primarily women, the lost arts that she knew so well: embroidery, knitting, and needlepoint.

She gave me so many gifts, too many to count. At the top of the list: 1) tell the truth, 2) be kind, and 3) write thank you notes. She spoke her mind, and people listened. What more could you ask for in a mentor, my mom.