Words My Mother Gave Me

If
by Rudyard Kipling


My Mother gave me the original copy of this poem many, many years ago. I have kept a copy posted somewhere ever since then. It has never stopped meaning what I think my mother meant it to be: a guide for what she wanted me to become. It is old-fashioned, written a hundred years ago, but still applicable in this world of people struggling to find the right direction. And yes, we both recognized that it was gender stereotyped, but that was a rhyming thing, and not to be taken literally in my particular case. I can hear my mother saying "It's the thought that counts."

For those of us on the sight-challenged side, just click on the image for a larger view.