Saturday's Songs for the Soul: Celine Dion and Charice: Because You Loved Me

Thought for the Day:  Psychologically, mothers (or mothering surrogates who can be fathers, grandmothers or other caretakers for infants) are the most important figures for us all, since their care, love and perceptions of their children give them their initial sense of self worth. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. It is a bittersweet day for me, since both my mother and grandmother are no longer living. 

I was lucky that my mother moved to Boston about seven years before she passed away. I was able to spend time with her more frequently during those years. I found myself simply dropping by her apartment for no reason at all. It became a tradition to come by on my birthday, just to let her know how much I appreciated the gift of life and the love she had given me throughout my life. We would go out and celebrate on Mother's Day, but just spending time with her on my birthday felt more like Mother's Day to me. I wrote a Mother's Day series of posts in 2012 about all the women who have mothered me and helped me become the person I am today (Mother's Day Part I: How The World Would Change If My Mother Ruled The World, Part II: If My Grandmother Ruled The World, Part III: If My Mother, Grandmother & I Ruled The World, Part IV: If My Step-Mother Ruled The World, Part V: If My Daughters Ruled The World).

Today, therefore, I wanted to find a special song that celebrates mothers. At first, when I found "Because You Loved Me," I wasn't sure it was the right, since it is such a well known hit. When I found a rendition of the song in a duet by Celine Dion and a young singer, Charice, I knew I had found today's my song for the soul.

Part II: Reader's Choice Top 5 Words of Wisdom Posts 2013

Thought for the Day: As the eastern seaboard digs itself out from a foot or more of snow, I am sharing the 5 top Words of Wisdom Posts from 2013. It has been interesting to look back at all the posts and see which ones readers liked the best. I am honored that two of the top 5 were quotes that I created. It is also a pleasure to celebrate two years of blogging with you. It is amazing that since I started the Top 10 posts for 2013, page views have risen from just under 80,000 to over 84,000! Thank you for reading, liking, sharing and commenting! I decided to find a quote about birthdays for today's post. It is from an author I am not familiar with, Jarod Kintz, from his book, This Book Title Is Invisible. Kintz says, "The year you were born Marks only your entry into the world. Other years where you prove your worth, they are the ones worth celebrating." I hope that we will have many years to celebrate my blog and that it will always be worthy of you spending time reading it.

#5 JFK on Appreciation of Veterans

11/13/13

#4 The 3 Rules of Life

11/20/13

#3 Psychologist Carl G. Jung on Happiness

3/27/13

#2 The Fastest Way To Change the World is To Educate a Girl

12/4/13

# 1 Eleanor Roosevelt on Dreams

11/27/13

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: The Fastest Way To Change the World is To Educate a Girl

Thought for the Day: I saw a quote on Facebook yesterday which said that "Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world. Nelson Mandela." I thought about using it for today's post. However, this morning I awoke with my own quote which must have been inspired by what I read yesterday: "The fastest way to change the world, is to educate a girl." 

      My grandmother grew up in small town in Russia. At the time, only boys were sent to school. She was fortunate that her parents believed in education and allowed her and her sisters to learn to read and write. She would sit at the back of the boys' class in order to take part in the lessons. After coming to America she continued to learn throughout her life. It is not surprising, that my mother not only went to college, but also became a lawyer at a time when there were next to no women in the legal profession. My mother and grandmother's examples helped me to follow in their footsteps to attain higher education. The pattern, however, is more significant than my family's history. It reflects a revolution in the history of mankind, or should I say womankind. It may be the greatest change our world has seen, giving us hope for the survival of mankind. This may sound like hyperbole, but I mean it with sincerity. 

       Much has been written about the differences in how men and women view the world. From the self help psychology books like Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus by JohnGray to the academic work, In A Different Voice, by Carol Gilligan. Women tend to think and speak differently from men on ethical issues focusing more on relationships and caring. 

       Women's liberation represents more than just a means to reach financial equality and independence. The more education women gain, the more they will be able to influence the world both economically and politically. Women's unique thought process and view of the world has already lead to major accomplishments. The impact of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is just one example of how educated women's efforts have paid off in raising awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and changing the laws to enforce stricter controls and penalties for driving while intoxicated.

       Hopefully, the feminine perspective combined with masculine ones, will help mankind find alternatives to war, solutions to world hunger and poverty, through cooperation and compromise. Women like Melinda Gates, Indirah Ghandi, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey are examples of educated women making a difference in the world. Educated women's power goes beyond the  political and economic sphere. Since they are also influential in the education of their sons and husbands, as well as their daughters, educated women are capable of changing society from the ground up.

       The educational revolution's inclusion of women may be the most significant change of our century. My grandmother would be proud to see how far women have come even though there is still a lot that needs to be done by women.

       Last night I learned that Nelson Mandela passed away. His wisdom will live on. It is ironic that I mentioned his quote just yesterday. May he rest in peace.