Lesson Learned From My Mom Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 175

This week’s reflection point: I lost my Mom 14 years ago and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and miss her. As we just celebrated Mother’s day I reflected on some of the greatest lessons I learned from her.

1. Risk taker – She stood in lines at the age of 7 in Poland waiting to get bread for her family and then fled on foot into the forest to escape holocaust.
2. Thinking Big – Shortly after moving to Israel and being trained as a nurse, she was given the noble task of helping to set up the first hospital in the city of Tzfat , my birth place.
3. The Power of Communities – She was masterful in mobilizing people to take action whether training the nursing community, helping new immigrants or volunteering her time for great causes.
4. Continued Education – She was always looking for ways to improve her knowledge and talents. She learned to speak 6 languages, played piano, joined a choir and attended various classes.
5. Accountability – She was known to hold herself and those around her to the highest level of accountability.
6. Entrepreneurship – Throughout her life she was devoted to helping her new country, Israel, grow and develop.
7. Love of Family – She was an amazing woman, devoted to her family, her children and grandchildren.

This week’s tip: Appreciate family and never take them for granted. Talk to them, your older generation, and learn their stories, their life’s challenges, and turn those jewels of knowledge into action.