Mrs. Wiggs
When I was a child I received a book for Christmas entitled Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch by Alice Hegan Rice. Mrs. Wiggs is a poor woman living in dilapidated housing with her four children. She is uneducated but wise with a lifetime of experience and willing to share it with anyone who will listen. It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor.
Her advice is simple, homespun, down to earth, and spoken in a unique way. Her grammar is interesting but her advice is still valuable for us as well as our children. Below are a few examples.
“… it ain’t never no use puttin’ up yer umbrell’ till it rains!”
“‘T’is one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall.”
“It is easy enough to be pleasant
When life flows along like a song,
But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.”
“How’d they ever know it was my birthday?” exclaimed Mrs. Wiggs, in delight. “Why, I’d even forgot it myself! We’ll [take] the cake fer the party to-night. Somehow, I never feel like good things b’long to me till I pass ‘em on to somebody else.”
The message of this post is simple: we can learn from anyone. Wisdom may come from many unsuspected places and from people we would never suppose.
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch by Alice Hegan Rice
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Anne's Corner
Trying everything yourself can be a very expensive way to learn wisdom. Much can be gained by listening to and observing others. The neighbor just rode their skateboard off the garage roof and broke their wrist? Maybe you don’t have to try it for yourself. Share stories of things that happen at home, at work, in the neighborhood, on the news, in the paper. “I was in such a hurry getting dinner out of the oven, I burned my hand.” Talk about the conflict of values: speed and safety. Encourage your child to tell you stories, and then really listen and together identify the value choices and priorities involved. Model being in the process of learning and sharing what you learn. Talk about learning from others’ experiences as a path to wisdom. Those, like Mrs. Wiggs, and many others, who reflect on their life experiences and are willing to share, can be treasure troves of wisdom and save us from many unnecessary painful bumps along the way.
Anne's Corner
Trying everything yourself can be a very expensive way to learn wisdom. Much can be gained by listening to and observing others. The neighbor just rode their skateboard off the garage roof and broke their wrist? Maybe you don’t have to try it for yourself. Share stories of things that happen at home, at work, in the neighborhood, on the news, in the paper. “I was in such a hurry getting dinner out of the oven, I burned my hand.” Talk about the conflict of values: speed and safety. Encourage your child to tell you stories, and then really listen and together identify the value choices and priorities involved. Model being in the process of learning and sharing what you learn. Talk about learning from others’ experiences as a path to wisdom. Those, like Mrs. Wiggs, and many others, who reflect on their life experiences and are willing to share, can be treasure troves of wisdom and save us from many unnecessary painful bumps along the way. 