Life lessons: things I've learned.

There are things that have been said to me over the years that I remember, that have made me, for better or worse, who I am. Here are a few.

(1) This, too, shall pass.

I think this if from the Bible, but I've read that Abraham Lincoln had it on his desk. What it means is to be patient. Today's crisis will, most likely, be yesterday's news. Do what you think is best -- for the long run -- and cross your fingers.

(2) For every high, there's a low.

My mother used to say, "Life is all peaks and valleys." This applies equally to the great and the not-so-great moments of your life, be they relationships or jobs or health or whatever. Don't get depressed over anything that goes wrong: it may turn around tomorrow.

(3) This life and one more.

My mother's grandmother used to say this. With a sigh, I'm sure. I think it sums up a lot about life and death and religion, about what we often see as the futility of it all -- but also about our belief that there is another life awaiting us later on. What I always liked about this saying was its implication that we needed to prepare for that next life, too. And how do we do that? I guess by doing our best in this one, since we don't know what the next one requires of us.

(4) First, do no harm.

This is the advice given to doctors, but doesn't it, really, apply to all of us?

(5) Family is bedrock.

Love 'em or hate 'em, they're the only ones obligated to put up with you, no matter what. Granted they don't always, and granted you don't always want them to. Still, they're who you came from. Be nice.

(6) Every day's a gift; all you have to do is un-wrop it.

This was said to my mother by an old black man helping to restore a pioneer home in a small town in Texas, where she was President of the Historical Society. He wore old clothes, had no money, and worked every day in the hot sun with his hands and was always cheerful. When she asked him how he always maintained a positive attitude, this is how he answered (complete with the phonetic spelling). My mother told this over and over all her life. She loved it!

I'm sure your own family has passed down to you familiar sayings that speak truth. Treasure them, and remember who said them.

It's our oral history, and it may well outlast our digital one.