A few weeks ago during our regularly scheduled business meeting, the Little Sisters had the opportunity to engage in a discussion about mothers.  It was an exercise to pay tribute to those women in our lives who have played “starring roles” to help us get to where we are today.  Not surprisingly, everyone didn’t have that same glisten in their eyes as we talked about “mom”.  Some didn’t have a relationship with her anymore because she made a decision to be out of her child’s life, for whatever the reason.  What we did focus on was giving thanks to the woman “that gave us life”, as one little sister put it. 

We also used this time to reflect on the kind of mother that we wanted to be.  This brings me to this point for parents and teens alike: Just because you think you were born “on the wrong footing” doesn’t mean you can’t get on the right foot.  Your history certainly does not define your future.  What is important is for each individual to ask him or herself, “Am I pleased with the life I have been given?” If so, how can you continue to make life pleasant for yourself when you’re finally in the driver’s seat (i.e. out of the nest)?  OR if you’re not satisfied with the hand you’ve been given, how do you not allow history to repeat itself for you or your children? 

We all come to understand that history in some way does seem to repeat itself.  A good explanation as to how the rich keeping getting richer and the poor…well, you know the rest.  For those well to do families often teach their kids how to be well to do and in most cases for the lack of better words, some families teach their kids through direct examples how to not be successful and rise above illiteracy, poverty, and a lifestyle of crime.  Just as you are what you eat, you are what you “seed”.  We’re products of our parents.  But wait, it just doesn’t end there!  We know that eating unhealthily can lead to diseases of the body such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.  However, with proper diet and exercise, the rate at which we are slowly killing ourselves can dramatically decrease.  And similiarly in the game of life, with unhealthy parenting practices, gang violence, teen pregnancy and other “mishaps”, proper diet and exercise can dramatically increase our chances of being successful individuals.  Diet and exercise being: Challenge yourselves to be better and different in the most positive, outlandish way you can dream of.  So, why is this concept so much harder to grasp than the prior one? Its simple enough: Life happens and most of us don’t know how to get back on track. 

Getting Back on Track can be easier than we think.  If we know that it’s harder to quit smoking by simply going “cold turkey”, then we have another answer to life’s big game.  Planning ahead for the unexpected and having a strong support system is vital in achieving success in life: whether it be trying to lose weight, kicking that smoking habit, going back to school, or changing jobs.  People without a purpose are less likely to succeed than someone running full-speed ahead with a plan of action and having strategic goals in life.  Goal setting can also be very difficult, especially for people who don’t believe in their own goals. That’s where supportive people, whether you get it from family or not, come in.  We’ll talk more next time about healthy goal setting and putting your plan into action with common mistakes that everyone has made a time or two.

Wishing you and your community well,

Roslyn L. Warren, NCC