I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday. He’s actually more of a mentor and he’s moving away in a couple of weeks. We’d been talking for a while and I could sense that the conversation was winding down. So I asked him if he had any advice for me. I wanted to know what thought would be important for me to know. I mean he’s leaving so I won’t get to have conversations with him a lot. So whatever he says, it needs to be good. He told me two things…

Sunday May 11 is Mother’s Day. We’re going to be talking about something mothers do very well — influence. Like it or not, our moms shape who we are. Genetics is part of it, but influence goes far beyond that. Our values and habits, our beliefs hopes and fears are all influenced by the people close to us. Notice I say influenced, not determined. Your parents don’t control who you are and what you think (just ask them, they’ll surely agree!). But they do have influence in ways we sometimes don’t even realize.