that best academy, a mother's knee.

I talked to my mom today.  I told her about my life and she told me about her's.  I told her about moving preparations and small victories, and she told me about recent happenings and new friends.

She told me about a dinner she went to with a few other couples.  She said that she was the only there who no longer had children at home.  At one point during the meal, the other woman asked my mother what advice she would give on raising a family.

This is what she told them.

Always compliment people above the level they are currently at.  It will motivate them to reach their potential.  


That was her secret, she told me; that's what she has always tried to do.

And looking back, I can remember the times she did that for me; the times she lifted me to a higher plane with a simple sentence.  She did it while I was growing up, and she still does it now that I'm married.

She did it today.