Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Sunday everyone!  And Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!  I hope you all got breakfast in bed or flowers or chocolates or hugs or phone calls from all of your far away kids.  Reminder: all kids, take note and choose one of the above ASAP.

My own Mom is at home in Florida right now and I am in Brooklyn so no in-person Mom's Day love this year but I was lucky to spend a beautiful weekend in Sarasota last month where we did all of our favorite things: consignment shops, salvage yards, pool time and more consignment shops.  Seriously.  I was there for a grand total of 36 hours and I think we probably hit up at least 10 consignment shops.  I owe my love of design to my Mom and the countless hours spent in front of HGTV.  I don't think I will ever forget that during my middle school years Trading Spaces was on at 4 PM on channel 32.  But like all moms, my Mom also gave me nuggets of wisdom, some sillier, some that can't be shared here, but one that I will leave you with today.  Probably the best piece of advice she has ever given me, one that I will remember forever and that I will share with my own kids. 

Outside of one of our other favorite shopping spots, Ocean State Job Lot (what up Aunt Diane!), a homeless man was asking for money.  Being the typical snot-nosed teenager that I was at the time, after my Mom had given him a few bucks and we had moved out of earshot, I so stupidly said something to the effect of, "Ew he was gross, why would you do that?"  As we walked into the store, my Mom replied, "Emily, everyone was once somebody's baby. Imagine a mother holding her newborn baby in her arms and all of the dreams and wishes she had for them.  That man was once somebody's baby and they had incredible dreams for him."  Since then, I have learned that you can never really count someone out and there is almost always an opportunity to turn your life around.  But that day I learned to look at every person I came upon with the love and respect that their mother once, a very long time ago, felt towards them as they slept in her arms.  Maybe it sounds silly, and believe me when I come across a particularly difficult individual I have to work really hard to keep this story in the front of my mind, but it's something that I think we all would do well to remember.

Everyone was once somebody's baby.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and particularly to mine!

Love you Mom!