Today is Mother’s Day — a moment set aside each year to recognize the women who raised us, shaped us, and, in many cases, continue to keep us humble. I’ve written about my mother, Alice Merlin, before in this post: Jewelry Insurance and The Missing Wedding Band—Avoiding the Mysterious Disappearance Exclusion. As I’ve grown older and hopefully a bit wiser, I’ve come to realize more and more just how much moms matter.
After a regatta at the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, I had dinner with my family a few months ago. It was a strong field with four former national champions among the sailors. I managed to finish seventh out of about 30 boats. Not bad, right?
Well, my 93-year-old mother, Alice Merlin, who’s currently fighting breast cancer, had a different take. After explaining everything that went on during the races, she looked at me across the dinner table and in front of about ten other family members, smiled, and said,
“Chip, are you losing your touch? You used to never finish so low when you were a kid.”
Leave it to a mom to keep you grounded.
Since then? I’ve placed second in two straight regattas. Coincidence? Maybe. But I’ll tell you this when your mom calls you out. You find another gear. That’s the power of a mother’s tender love and occasional tough challenge.
Just recently, before giving a speech in Denver this week, I spoke with a public adjuster, a mother of two who is going through a difficult divorce. I shared with her that story about my mom calling me out. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled. For a moment, the weight she was carrying seemed just a little lighter. Whether you’re 9, 39, or now 66 for me, our moms have a way of pulling us back to the center, giving us courage, and sometimes, giving us a well-placed push when we need it most. Moms matter, and their work and words resonate with us until the day we die.
I somehow integrated that theme into the speech, literally saying that “Moms matter!” I wish you were there.
In our work in the insurance field, we often deal with people on their worst days, whether as attorneys, property adjusters, roofers, restoration contractors, or agents. It’s easy to get lost in the details of policies, exclusions, deadlines, and negotiations. But if we pause to consider the people at the heart of it all, especially the mothers protecting their families, homes, and futures, we can find a deeper purpose in what we do.
So, here’s to the moms:
The ones who raised us.
The ones we fight for.
The ones who never stop believing we can do better, even when we come in 7th.
Happy Mother’s Day! Moms matter.
Thought For The Day
“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”
—Rudyard Kipling