RIP Olive Corley – Good Habits I Learned From My Mom

My Mom passed away this morning. She gave birth to eight children; all of whom grew up to become good, caring people. My Mom was just under five feet tall but to me she was a giant. She was an incredible pianist, amazing with a sewing machine, knitted every day, was funny, compassionate, kind to everyone and devoted to her family. Through her words and actions she instilled in me and my siblings many good qualities. I thought I’d share some of them with you:

• Show Empathy: Many people are going through some life crisis and kindness and compassion helps ease their pain. My Mom believed that we should be there to help others who were going through hard times.
• Be Generous: Help people who are struggling in life. Never ignore those in need. My Mom believed we were put here on earth to do good and that starts by helping those less fortunate.
• Attend Funerals: A death in the family is one of those life events I write and talk about a lot. When you attend funerals you put your relationships on steroids. Death of a loved one is painful. My Mom believed attending funerals shows you care.
• Laugh Every Day: Find a reason to be happy. Find something funny in everything in life. My Mom believed you can’t be sad when you’re laughing.
• Money is the Route of All Evil: Pursuing anything for the love of money alone is wrong. My Mom believed that we all have some innate talent and that we need to find something we are passionate about rather than something that will make us rich.
• You Can’t Control What You Can’t Control: Much of life is outside your control. My Mom believed that we should all just try every day to control what you can control and not worry about what is outside your control.
• Creative Pursuits Make You Happy: When you engage in anything that requires creativity you will be happy. My Mom loved playing the piano. She always had a smile on her face when she was playing piano. Writing and teaching makes me happy, so I write and teach every day. My Mom believed that when you develop a skill that exposes your inner creativity it will make you happy.
• Love: Show love to everyone you meet. Love solves most problems in life. My Mom believed that love was the most important thing in life.

My Mom thought I would become a priest. She saw in me a little of herself – a desire to help those who were less fortunate. Although I decided not to pursue the priesthood, she was nevertheless very proud of the work I was doing with the Rich Habits. Now, my work takes on a new meaning. I now see it as a way to honor my Mom by helping those less fortunate – those struggling with poverty.

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