Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. The most powerful ones are those we can't even describe, aren't even aware of.
Ellen GoodmanRead
This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.
Interpretation
Family stories and personal connections are more valuable than material possessions.
Ellen Goodman's quote emphasizes the importance of personal connections and family stories over material wealth. It suggests that what truly matters is the love we shared and the legacy we leave behind through our experiences and relationships, rather than the physical items we accumulate throughout our lives.
In practice
During a family gathering, one could share this quote to emphasize the importance of storytelling among relatives.
Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. The most powerful ones are those we can't even describe, aren't even aware of.
The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.
Parents remain our touchstones, fellow travelers, even after death. They are both missing and present.
What do I want to take home from my summer vacation? Time. The wonderful luxury of being at rest. The days when you shut down the mental machinery that keeps life on track and let life simply wander. The days when you stop planning, analyzing, thinking and just are. Summer is my period of grace.
My father used to say that if a man fools you once, he's a jerk. If he fools you twice, you're a jerk. Only he didn't use the word "jerk."
There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over - and to let go. It means leaving what's over without denying its validity or its past importance in our lives.
Affirming words from moms and dads are like light switches. Speak a word of affirmation at the right moment in a child's life and it's like lighting up a whole roomful of possibilities.
One thing I can say about the Motown acts is that we were a family. That's not a myth
The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal.
When my mother left home, her family sat shivah for her, more because my father was not Jewish than because he was black.
When you leave them in the morning, they stick their nose in the door crack and stand there like a portrait until you turn the key eight hours later.
Sometimes I really think people ought to have to pass a proper exam before they're allowed to be parents. Not just the practical, I mean.
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