(Washington, DC April 27, 2005)    When Pamela Simonson looked into the eyes of her grandmother Celia Ford and mother Theresa Allen while sitting in her grandmother’s kitchen last year, she realized the three generations were exactly 75, 50, and 25 years old, at the exact same time. The wisdom in their eyes also revealed struggle, power, strength, and love of generations of women before them.

It was at that moment Simonson had an epiphany. She was compelled to make certain her own legacy, still unborn, would be an enduring and lasting one. Simonson wanted to pay honor to Motherhood, advice, and generational wisdom.

While the earliest tributes to mothers date back to the annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, Simonson’s tribute to the significant women in her life, to wise generations of the past, and to the legacy of life, came in the writing of a poem. That poem, Strands of Thought, has since evolved into a popular collection of words of wisdom and inspiration, Pearls of Wisdom From Three Generations, a book she penned with her mother and grandmother.

“I began to research famous words of wisdom on the internet, in books, by listening to music, and reading poetry”, stated Simonson. The Washington National Opera soprano found words from all over the world, in lyrics, in literature, from every generation, and every culture, in the history of the universe.

“When I had the epiphany, I wanted to write everything down”, the Music Director and teacher exclaimed. She realized mothers and women have been saying wise words since the beginning of time and remembered her own mother telling her,

“The shortest pencil is better than the best memory.” Write it down. That is exactly what Simonson, Ford, and Allen decided to do.

“That quote served as the catalyst for the book,” stated Allen.

“We wanted to record what our mothers taught us, what their mothers taught them, and what their mothers had taught them”, concluded the Newsday retiree and businesswoman.

Ford agreed stating,

“The inspiration came when Pamela realized we were 75, 50, and 25 and we knew this was a very special time. The moment would never come again.” The retired Registered Nurse continued when she said,

“We wanted to do something more than getting our nails done or going to the Olive Garden.”

Sharing Simonson’s sentiments, Ford and Allen began collecting family sayings, expressions, and quotes, compiling them into the best selling collection. They also wrote original prayers and devotionals.

Since then, the native New Yorkers and teachers have been doing public speaking and sharing words of wisdom before thousands, as inspirational and motivational speakers.  They also pen an advice column, Ask Pearls of Wisdom, offering solace and advice to those in pain. The column answers questions from readers, from three different perspectives.

In Simonson’s research, she discovered one of the most significant expressions was from South Africa, stating, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the nation and its destiny.”

“The quote is clearly talking about mothers”, stated Simonson. She felt compelled to find out how Africans, Americans, and other cultures came to celebrate mothers and wisdom.

Ancient Romans paid homage to their Great Mother of Gods, Cybele. Christians first celebrated a Mother’s Day festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary. In England the holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday. It was nearly 150 years ago, in the United States, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community. She was paying homage to her own mother and dedicated her life to helping to establish the day honoring Mothers.

That is what their collection, Pearls of Wisdom From Three Generations is all about. Wisdom, history, legacy, generations, motherhood. Simonson realizes words of wisdom live forever. She simply wants to add a little bit of her own legacy to history’s pages.

To schedule a speaking engagement by the Pearls of Wisdom or a book signing you can contact PearlsofWisdom3.aol.com.

Mother’s Day Sayings

"Nobody knows of the work it makes to keep the home together. Nobody knows of the steps it takes, nobody knows - but Mother."

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.       Elizabeth Stone

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.      Rajneesh

All women become like their mothers.  That is their tragedy.  No man does.  That's his.      Oscar Wilde

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done.    Author Unknown

Motherly Advice

• A penny saved is a penny spent somewhere else.
  
• If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
  
• Don’t stand up while you are eating, it makes the house look poor.
  
• Save your money when you have it not when you don’t.
  
• A stitch in time saves nine.
  
• Always change your underwear; you never know when you'll have an accident.
  
• Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
  
• God don’t like ugly.
  
• What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
  
• Don’t put off for tomorrow if you can do it today.
  
• Close that door! Were you born in a barn?
  
• Be careful or you'll put your eye out.
  
• Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!