Mother | Morgan L. Busse

As you know, today is Mother’s Day. Everywhere I look, people are talking about how special their mom is and what she has done for them. I wanted to take it up a notch. What makes my mother so special? Then it hit me: she gave me the skills to survive a zombie apocalypse.

For as long as I can remember, we were always in the kitchen cooking with mom. Considering she is a home economics teacher, previous restaurant owner, and award-winning cook, that’s not a surprise. She taught me to cook anything and everything. And if I didn’t know how to cook something, to look it up. How many people know how to cook? Or to improvise in their cooking? Yeah, that skill will keep me alive should the zombie apocalypse occur.

I also know how to sew. Not very well, mind you, but I can sew a seam and know the basics, all thanks to my mom. She tried to teach me more, but I was never destined to be a seamstress. However, if the zombie apocalypse lingers, I will be able to make my own clothing and blankets. I will be surviving in style! Or at least clothed 😉

My mother taught me to share everything I have, whether I have plenty or little. We always had room at the table for a guest and floorspace when someone needed a place to stay. I would practice that same hospitality during the zombie apocalypse. Mi casa es su casa. Or would that be mountain fortress?

My mother also taught me to make friends. I was a shy, introverted little girl who was afraid of everyone. She showed me how to make friends, how to ask people about themselves instead of thinking about myself, and always have a list of questions ready so the conversation would keep going (this list has saved me many times from those awkward pauses that send me into a panic attack!). Who knows, maybe the whole apocalypse occurs because of a misunderstanding with the zombies? Maybe they just want to be friends 😉

On a serious note, my mother taught me many, many things that I take for granted everyday. She prepared me for life and then let me go. That is what a mother does: she gives you wings, but she doesn’t fly for you. Instead, she cheers you on as you hop out of the nest and soar into the world. Thank you, mom. You are one of the people God used to prepare me for life and you did a great job. I hope I can do the same for my own children.

Happy Mother’s Day!

There are just some things that are so wired inside of you that they pervade your thoughts and actions without you even thinking. Many of those things in my own life are due to my mother. So here are the things my mom taught me, and the same things I am passing on to my own children.

1) People are people. My mother taught me that no matter a person’s skin color, intelligence, abilities, or any other characteristic did not make them any less human. We are all people, whether young or old, disabled or perfect health, skinny or obese. And we are all loved by God.

This is something I am passing on to my own children. I share with them that inside, all of us are the same. We have feelings, we have a heart and lungs and kidneys, and we have dreams and fears. And that Jesus died for all of us. If you were to ask my children if a group of people are less than another, they will tell you people are people are people (that’s our phrase).

2) There is always room for hospitality. I remember my mom telling me that if people show up unexpected, throw some more water into the soup. And if there is floor space, then they have a place to stay the night.

We did not have much growing up. But mom always fed anyone who walked into our house. And we always offered what we could, including the couch or living room floor. In an apartment or trailer with only one bathroom and 3 bedrooms for 6 people to share, that wasn’t a lot of space. But we gave what we could, and guests were always fed and given a place to stay in my family’s home.

I practice that same rule of hospitality with my own family. Anyone who has ever been to my house knows that I will feed you till you pop :). And whether we are living in a large house or a tiny house, you will always have a place to stay with us (and we mean it!).

3) Respect the Elderly. My earliest memories were visiting my mom’s great aunt in the nursing home. I will admit, old people scared me and those trips were frightening. But mom would talk about how no one else would visit her and how much older people love seeing kids.

I was also taught to give up my seat if an older person came into the room and there were no more chairs available. She would remind me that my back was still young and I could sit on the floor. To this day, I will still sit on the floor and offer my chair to an older person.

No matter how grouchy an older person is, I was reminded to show honor and respect. Not always easy, but something I’m thankful I was taught to do. And I am now training my children to do the same thing.

I love my mom and am so thankful for the things she taught me. I have not always followed her instruction, but God has shown me the wisdom of my mom’s words. And now that I am a mom, I want to pass down that same wisdom.

How about you? What did your mother teach you?

Author-Speaker-Writing Coach