Mother’s Day Contest
In 100 words or less, share a lesson that your mom instilled in you that you are especially grateful for.
Please email your entry to contest@glenivy.com before Tuesday, May 8 to be entered for a chance to win (2) $50 Glen Ivy Gift Cards & (2) Glen Ivy Admission Passes!
We will announce the winner on Wednesday, May 9.
when I was a teenager my MOM would always tell me “The world judges you by your actions, not by your intentions”. It made me so mad as a kid but now as an adult of course I know she was right. When I tell myself I intend to do something important I make sure I act and do it. Thanks to my MOM!
“Thank you”
The first thing you taught me to say
Patience, compassion, and the love of God
You made sure I understood
Walking, running, making new friends
You allowed me to handle at my own pace
Reading, exploring, analytical thinking
You demonstrated in your wisdom
Aggression, opposition, and profanity
I found those as I moved away from you
Tolerance, loyalty, and self-confidence
Characteristics reflected in me through your love
Sarcasm, disillusionment, and contempt
That was society’s contribution to my development
I thank God for who you were and how much of yourself you shared
Your smile, your hands, your essence
I have those
For thirty-three years your friendship never faltered
Always my best friend
1992
On a Thursday morning
I prepared my children for school
I took a shower
Fed and walked the dog
Addressed a birthday card to my father
(a man you never criticized, when lord knows you had a good reason to do so)
Took my daughters to school
I stopped at the post office
To mail the damn card
When I finally returned to your house
To spend another day at your bedside
You were just leaving
and I was just in time
to see
the last
wisp
of breath
Leaving your physical shell behind
and me
in my self absorbed pity
lost in sorrow
I failed to say to you
The first thing that you taught me
My Mom has always been my rock. She was a Single Teenage Mother raising me all by herself, she always made a way out of no way. The best lesson my mom taught me would be to never give up! She never let me quit as bad as I wanted to give up on things in my life, she wouldn’t let me! I would never be the person I am today, without her influence in my life.
Don’t gossip. We all already know this however it is worth repeating. I was 5-years old when I overheard my aunt telling my other aunt that my mom loved my older sister more. I questioned my mom about it and of course she was devastated. I recovered and know now my mom loves us both equally, however at age 5, kids don’t understand everything they hear and the fact is, you never know who is listening. It could be an innocent child.
My mother is simply amazing! She has taught me many things throughout my lifetime, but the biggest and most inspirational lesson I learned from my mom is the concept of the laws of attraction. Thinking positive will bring positivity to my life and good things will come to fruition by believing them to be true.
Growing up in a low income home the best lesson my mother instilled in me was to aprrciate the simple things in life. She showed us that you didn’t have to have alot of money to have fun and love. She would spend time with us by taking us for walks, playing board games or just talking to us and listening to what we had to say. Now as a mother of two I too I’m showing my children the same thing. And feel I have a very strong bond with them and as they grow older should hope my bond will just grow stronger. And for that I have my mother to thank.
My mother taught me that anything is possible in life. If you want it you need to earn it and keep it. Life is about making mistakes and moving forward but also striving to be better and feeling that your life is well worth earning and having fun for. Keep doin the best you can and you will succeed!
“Life is all about love. Life is all about finding peace with every decision you make. Life is about enjoying yourself,” my mother always tells me. And now, as I tell my mother that I am about to become a mother myself, I realize how important these lessons are. Life can be stressful, but I have learned that how we treat ourselves and others has the biggest effect of all. I can’t wait to share these life lessons with my own children.
As a young girl of a working class couple – I often wore second hand clothes and shoes. I found it difficult to fit in with kids from better off families – until my Mother told me that the most important thing we put on each day is our smile. She convinced me that if I greeted each person I met with a smile and kind word – that would be all they would notice or remember about me. After that day – making friends became easy and I forgot all about what I was wearing. I was popular with my classmates and never felt left out. I still wear my smile each day – and think it’s the best way to finish dressing for life’s challenges each day. Thanks Mom.
My mom taught me to always know that things in life always work out for the best and to always learn from the situation. I have been faced with many struggles over the last couple of years. My mom is such an amazing woman and has gone above and beyond to help me care for my young child. Without her guidance and advice, I would be lost. All she does is GIVE and I would love to GIVE her Glen Ivy for Mothers Day. She’s a true angel.
My mom “Vera” wery loving lady. She raizd 5 children all by herself, because her husband passed away 35 years ago,& broth them to USA 24 yers ego. She told me to be what you are and never give up. Love my mom so so so much.
Thank you.
I remember my mom always telling me knowledge is power. Keep learning and trying new things and you won’t regret it. To this day I still take college courses and I’ve learned from her not to give up and keep on keeping on ! I try to instill it into my own daughter, even though she’s only 4, that it’s important to do your best and have fun while doing it. Life is about what you can give and get out of it ! Being prepared and staying ahead of the game by continuing to be healthy and have an active mind. All these things I learned from my mom. Even though she is a step-mom, she was all I had and I’m thankful I had her !
My mother, Joan, taught myself and my three daughters to honor and love our God and husband then children. In that order-working so far.
My mom taught me to be independent, honest, forgiving, patient, and to always believe …thanks to my mom I am who I am!
My mother, who is a NICU nurse, has taught me so many life lessons: love, patience, kindness, forgiveness, and hard work. She has been my best friend and a shining example of what I only hope to achieve as a wife and mother someday. I love her dearly and I don’t know what I would do without her!
My mom taught me to pay it forward. When you are blessed bless someone else because you may need a blessing one day. My mother was a great lady & I miss her a great deal I make sure to pay it forward when I can.
In loving my children, she showed me how to be the best Nana I can be to my grandchildren! She became a Nana when my oldest brother had his first child, born on her birthday! I am the last of six, and I get to see my mom love on all of her grandchildren. She accepted my sons (from my husband’s prior marriage) and has treated them exactly like all the others. I now have seven grandchildren so far, with number eight arriving on May 9th! I have more grandchildren in my future, and I hope that “Big Nana” gets to love on all of them.
Gratitude. My Mom has always emphasized the importance of being grateful and appreciative of everything that I have in life. She’s always said to never take anything for granted. She taught me the importance of writing thank you notes for my birthday presents, to expressing my feelings, being thoughtful and considerate. She always taught me the importance of being humble, and gracious. I look up to my mother as an inspiring woman and am honored that she has instilled these values in me. On this upcoming Mother’s Day, I am blessed to have my Mother in my life and hope to pass these same values onto my own daughters.
My instilled the importance if patience and love. My Mom honestly deserves this so much, my mom has put all others before herself. My Mom has been so loving and patient with my Dad. It is truly Inspiring how much she still loves him after 36 years of marriage. My dad recently had a stroke, he had just retired not even two years ago from the CHP. I know my Mom could really use this time to herself!
My mother was vivacious and creative and the mother of five active children. After I married, I left California and moved across the country to live on a farm in Kansas. I missed her greatly, but long distance phone calls were very expensive in those days, and we were quite poor. On her 50th birthday in 1979 she called me and we had a wonderful talk. I was 25 and expecting my first child. She said to me “Diana Mary, don’t ever forget that life begins at 50!” I had three children, never expected to lose my mom when I was 41 and she only 67. But time lessened the pain of loss, and as my 50th birthday approached I found that I was excited rather then depressed. My kids were grown and gone, and I never had forgotton what my mother told me. “Life begins at 50.” Soon I’ll be 60 and I look forward to every day and what is going to be revealed around the next bend. I inherited that from my marvelous mom.
This is the best spa I have ever had it’s such a relaxing place and I recommend to every body at least I time visit the spa
My Mother taught me that Education is the only way to succeed in life. She came to the United States, leaving her own family behind, so that she could offer me an education. My mom instilled in me, that education was the only way to succeed and encouraged me to seek education as a way to make a positive difference in the world. She was a factory worker for over 30 years, working hard so that her children may attend college. I am greatful for the support and encouragement she gave me to attend college and become a teacher.
The best lesson my mother ever gave me was “Work for what you need, work harder for what you want. Nothing is free in life.”
I learned never to give up from my mom. At the age of 33 she went back to school and got her bachelors degree at the age of 36. Many people told her she would never get her degree once she had children, but this only made her more determined to show them they were wrong. Thanks mom for your example in determination and perseverance!
“Life is not always fair, never has been fair and never will be fair so just get on with it!”. She learned that from her mother as well. My mom is 68 and in the final stages of Peritoneal Cancer – she has been fighting for 4 years. She has never once asked “Why me?” She has given me strength to believe I can make it through ANYTHING with faith and determination. I’m going to miss her when she is gone but her spirit will live on through me and my daughters.
I am extremely grateful to my mother for many lessons she instilled in me but one of the most valuable lesson she taught me is to have faith at all times, and it has been faith that has carried me through some of the darkest hours of my life! Thank you MOMMY!!
My mother is an extraordinary mom because she is that one person who puts love into everything. My mother is a mom of two girls. My mother is a wife of a Navy veteran. My mother works 10 hours a day as an accountant. My mother continuously thinks of everyone else, though this may not be ruthless, I believe she deserves so much more than appreciation and/or a “thank you”. I wish I could give my mother everything that she desires but until I start making serious money the best I can do is the little things.
My Mom taught me the strength that you can have even though you don’t think you do. After 6 children and a loving husband who worked hard to support them her husband had congestive heart failure. My Mom took care of our Dad for 5 years in which he could not work and she showed not only true love but the strength to be their for her husband and children also. Here it is almost 30 years since our Dad passed but my Mom’s love never waivered and she has continued to be the strong, beautiful, loving woman, Mother she has always been. Never asking for much but always giving!
My mom did not impart too many verbal pearls when I was young, but what she portrayed in her actions spoke volumes. To sum her up in one word – RESILIENCE. I would not wish my mother’s life experiences on anyone. Inasmuch as losing her first-born at 9yrs old to leukemia, losing her only son to heart-failure and losing her 2nd husband in hit-run accident coming back from Persian War. Also through these events, she carried the blame of her husband’s miss-deeds for years resulting with her being ostracized by her church family and community. Yet all her life, she remains stoic, blameless and faithful to God. She’s never been admitted to a hospital in her entire 70yrs and continues to live a healthy life as a nurse helping those that are ailing and dying, who are even younger than herself. If I could be half of who she is, I’ll consider myself a rich person. Mom – you are my true hero.
One of the most important lessons my mom ever taught me was to be pleasant to people. From the grocery clerk to the mechanic that fixed our car, my mom always stopped to say hi, ask how their day was, and smiled. Even when someone was new to the job and not well trained or really slow, my mom always remained pleasant and patient. It was a valuable lesson that I learned and work hard to follow every single day.
Strength!. That’s what my mother represents not only raising me on her own, working 16 hours a day, going to nursing school, she managed to give me the BEST life I could ever have. (Not to mention she was not am American citizen at the time), so after she was done with school she was not able to take her exam. After 19 years later, my mother goes to state board; challenges the state to get her nurse license and PASSED! My mother is amazing and because of all her achievements and every obstacle she has overcome I am STRONG and I keep striving! I LOVE YOU MOM!
As a little girl, my mom always taught me how to properly wash my face. As I got older, she taught me to use the right products so that I would not break out. When I became a mother, she taught me to pamper myself once in awhile and get a facial or massage. She reminded me to make time for “me.” Now, I try to pamper her and take her with me when getting facials and massages. She is the best mother and my best friend.
My non-English speaking mother moved the family to this country as immigrants in 1975 when I was only 11. The main purpose of the move was for her 4 children to get an education. The lesson my mother instilled in us was to study hard, work hard and appreciate what America has to offer. She told us to be content with what we have instead of what we don’t have and never forget where we came from. Her action and sacrifice have opened many doors for us and we are all grateful. We are happy and successful in our own ways because she instilled great values in us.
Hi,
One thing my mom had instilled us from her point of view was to always stick with family. The reason why she has taught my brother and I to never leave each other because she had experienced it. My mom came here from another country in 1975 with her 3 sisters w/out her mother when she was a little girl. 20 years later, she hasn’t been able to contact with her families and sisters, which is terrible but she has been strong all these years and have been inspired to always be my family side.
My mother taught me the value of education, standing on my own two feet, and not relying on anyone but myself to meet my financial needs. Her story is an inspiration to me and to everyone that knew her. When she was a very young child, until she was 23 years old, she was in the Russian ballet. By the time she was 47, she was widowed twice. Each time she was left alone to support herself and her two children. With no formal education except a high school diploma, she managed to use the money from the death benefit of her husband’s insurance policy to purchase a franchise. She worked in the franchise dress shop during the day and went to school at night to get her real estate license. After selling the franchise, she went on to become the top sales person in a nationally recognized company month after month, and then she went on to become the realtor of the year four years in a row. Next, she went back to school and became a real estate broker. Her dream was to live at the ocean, so she opened a small office along the waterfont where she became one of the most successful broker-realtors and property managers in the area. I am in awe of my mother and her accomplishments. Not only did we always have what we needed, her love, our home, food on the table, music lessons, and all the other things that children need to feel that they fit in with their peers, but she also managed to put us through college as well. She always emphasized the power of an education and I have followed in her footsteps, finishing college and becoming a teacher. Now, my daughter is honoring the legacy of her amazing grandmother as she completes her senior year at the university! I am so grateful to her for all she so lovingly did for her family and for her courageous example. Most of all, the lesson of self-reliance was the best gift she could give to me, to her granddaughter and to the women of future generations in our family! Thank you, Mother…
Love- My mother has taught me to love. When there is hate in any situation find the way to feel love to give love and to receive it.
Patients- My mother has taught me patients. When bad things just keep coming at you full force have patients something good is coming and if you wait you’ll be rewarded.
Dedication- My mother has taught me to dedicate myself to things that help me to be better. Dedicate life to making it the best that you can.
Strength- The most important thing that my mother has taught me to have strength in times of weakness. My mom has the most amazing strength. My mother is a schizophrenic bipolar she’s had this disorder since just after she gave birth to me she could have given up and just stopped working and be a stay at home mom but she work for most of her life and she has just recently retired not because she wanted to but because she had to. All the time my mom spent working and taking care of me and my five brothers she was slowly but surely developing kidney failure it’s just gotten to the point where she can’t work anymore but she still finds the strength to cook dinner and do stuff around the house even though she’s probably in pain every minute. My mom is AMAZING and she is my hero and all i want to do is take care of her like she’s taken care of me and give her and my dad the break they deserve. I love you mom!
Love- My mother has taught me to love. When there is hate in any situation find the way to feel love to give love and to receive it.
Patients- My mother has taught me patients. When bad things just keep coming at you full force have patients something good is coming and if you wait you’ll be rewarded.
Dedication- My mother has taught me to dedicate myself to things that help me to be better. Dedicate life to making it the best that you can.
Strength- The most important thing that my mother has taught me to have strength in times of weakness. My mom has the most amazing strength. My mother is a schizophrenic bipolar she’s had this disorder since just after she gave birth to me she could have given up and just stopped working and be a stay at home mom but she work for most of her life and she has just recently retired not because she wanted to but because she had to. All the time my mom spent working and taking care of me and my five brothers she was slowly but surely developing kidney failure it’s just gotten to the point where she can’t work anymore but she still finds the strength to cook dinner and do stuff around the house even though she’s probably in pain every minute. My mom is AMAZING and she is my hero and all i want to do is take care of her like she’s taken care of me and give her and my dad the break they deserve. I love you mom!
When I was growing up, Mom was “just Mom”, today as a Mom myself, I see her as a Hero.
Her sad days did not reflect in her love for us, her struggles in her marriage or life were never taken out on us, and her compassion to listen to me as I complained, were never brushed off with comments to about how easy I had it compared to her, or things like ” you have no idea how hard it COULD be”… NO, she listened and loved.
So my lesson from my mom, ” NEVER LET YOUR KIDS THINK IT IS HARD, BE THE ROCK THEY THINK YOU ARE” you learn more about what they are doing as kids in school, and more about what they are thinking.
THEN, you escape to a glen Ivy spa and let your hard day’s as a mom go! recharge and ready to be the hero again!
Thanks Mom, I only wish I was half of the women you were! xoxo
All I have to thank for my success in doing art in college is what my mother always told me when I wanted something but could not afford it. To clothes or decorations, to food out or home goods she would say “We can do (make) that.” She taught me to believe I can make anything, even if most of my attempts failed to replicate the item, but we often found we made something unique together. This saved our family money and instilled creativity and determination within me that I am ever grateful for.
“do unto others”
My mom taught us in everything we do from a
Simple word to a grand gesture to always treat/love
Each other as we would wish to be treated.. This
Simple yet sometime hard lesson has given myself
And people I’ve come in contact with a blessed life…
Thank you Mom
The most important lesson mom taught us was to be strong and stay positive, whether it was for school, work, family or health. She is the strongest, most courageous woman I know. 2010 and 2011 were challenging years for mom and her health. We almost lost her, but the strength and bravery she showed us in the hospital helped keep us all strong and positive. Thankfully she is recovering now, but even when the chances of recovery looked grim, she was brave and never gave up. We are truly blessed to celebrate another Mother’s Day with her.
My mom is the strongest person I know. My dad was sick with cirrhosis back in 2003. For three months, she took care of my father along with 3 children, my little brother was only three. My mom had to watch her soulmate, her husband, her best friend pass away but she made the reminder of his life happy. She kept our family together despite the tragedy of losing my dad. She instilled in us that family ARE always there for you to depend on and you never have to struggle alone. My mom still works. She has the kindest heart ever. She never holds any grudges. She makes our family complete. She never lets us forget to thank God every night. Shes very protective of her family but she just wants to make sure we’re all taken of. My mother deserves a nice day at the spa for all her hard work and dedication to our family. Sacrificing her own fun so that we may be able to enjoy what life has to offer.
The most important thing I learned from my mom, I learned by example. I learned forgiveness and how to forgive with grace the day I ruined an antique chair, when I sanded the rose out of the wood while trying to help. She just sighed as she saw the beauty of the chair in particles of sawdust on the floor. The value was no longer in the chair but in the lesson. Little did she know that day would stay with me forever as the memory of how to treat someone when they make a mistake. I asked for the chair when she died and told my sister if it was in her things there would be no mistaking it. My sister recognized it immediately when she found it. I keep the ruined chair to this day to remind how to forgive with grace.
“Family is everything and will always have your back!” My Mom is an amazing mother of 3 and nana of 2. She recently lost her mother in October and to see her hurt as much as she did killed me, and still today she has her days when she breaks down. Im glad to see our family come together and comfort eachother. Were all hurting but she always seems to put her feelings aside and stay strong for us all. Always has the perfect and comforting words. She is so strong! I love you mom!
My mother always said education is the key to success. Knowledge is powerful and no one can take it away but it can take you far. She always supported me in my educational goal as she came from a very “Machista” background and women were not allow to get a higher education degrees. She was right! My divorce and division of assets could not take away my college diplomas. I am an independent woman that can take on life’s challenges. I will continue to excel as I recently got admitted to a USC graduate program. Thanks mom!
My mother taught me to value my Family and friends. She showed me that the relationships we have with them are by far the most important thing we have in life ( besides God) , and without our friends and family we would be lost. She taught me that it is important to tell them how much they mean to you, and show your love often with words, unspoken ways, and with affection. Spend every day with your friends and family like it could be the last day.
Life lesson: Believe in the beauty of your dreams! My mother was the first to graduate college in her family and she was a single mother of three children. She sacrificed everything for us and she emphasized the power that education brings. My brothers are both in college and I am completing grad school, a true testament to her work. She suffered a stroke a few years ago and during this time she also lost her job. She did not let that these events deter her, she worked hard to get healthy and is now also in grad school! <3