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Meaningful Words of Wisdom From the Moms at Goodwill
“A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.” —Unknown
Our Mothers shape our lives. They’re present during every one of life’s accomplishments from uttering your first “words,” to seeing you off to school. The advice and words of wisdom that our Moms give us during each one of these occasions are long-lasting, and they are shaped by decades of experiences, years of memories, and days of struggles.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, we asked the working Moms of Goodwill to share their words of inspiration. We hope that these stories and pieces of advice will guide you through your victories and struggles, helping you to achieve your highest levels of personal success. We are honored to have each and every one of these incredible women on our team. We wouldn’t be Goodwill without them.
Jacqueline Young, Goodwill’s AP/AR Specialist on our Finance Team, shares the honest words from her Mom, Alberta Young, who passed away in December of 2019.
“I have three brothers and two sisters and my Mom always told us…” when people are kind to you, don’t take it lightly because people don’t have to be nice.” It’s a simplistic view but nonetheless, so true and I cherish her words to this day.”
Tamela Brown, the Business Services Representative on our Workforce Development Team, is the Mother of a beautiful 16-year-old daughter.
“Always remember to give your very best, be confident in a job well done, and kind to others. You just may inspire or brighten someone’s day!” – Tamela B.
Colleen Paletta, Goodwill of Greater Washington’s Chief Integration Officer, is a mother to two wonderful children.
“When people ask what it’s like to balance a demanding job while raising two very busy children—I say it’s hard and life is very full. The truth is many days work takes priority, many days my kids take priority, and some days both seem to get just the right amount of attention. How I keep going is by making sure I have a strong village of support—at work and home. No one can “do it all” on their own. For me having a great partner in my husband, surrounding myself with friends and family I can count on, and working with the incredible people that I do at Goodwill each day is what allows me to come close to “doing it all.” This Mother’s Day I thank all the villages out there supporting us working moms—we need you—and to all the working moms who think they are not doing well either at work or home- build your village and just keep going!”
Kimberly Rollins, the Vice President of Goodwill’s Development Team, is in her words, “best friends with 2 little people under 3.”
“As a mommy with very young children, I am best friends with 2 little people under 3. My husband and I often quote, “the days are long, but the years are short”. It helps me not be so quick to rush these early months and years. I love being a mom and dreamed of always teaching my children so much, and didn’t realize all the things they would teach me.
They’ve taught me that you can:
- Make a stranger’s day by being kind
- Never say thank you too much
- Eat Cheez-Its and apple sauce for dinner sometimes and you will be ok
- Always ask why and say please
- Wear your “fancy clothes” even if you are only in the house
- Count blowing bubbles as self-care
- Smiling can take melt away tiredness and pain
- Have quality time even with a long embrace or a quick game of peek-a-boo
- Be yourself. It’s more than enough.
Enjoy the early years because they are only this little once. The world will soon make them grow up, so I’m intentional on letting them be children full of laughter, joy and big dreams.”