By Mary Pannabecker Steiner
So...Sunday was Mother's Day. I don't remember much about Mother's Day when I was little. I don't think we ever fixed her breakfast in bed or took her out for dinner. The truth is, she probably cooked for us on those days, but I could be wrong. You'd have to ask her.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that most of us don't come to really appreciate our moms until later in life when we finally realize what all they taught us.

My own mother turns 90 in about five weeks. 90. Wow. That simply amazes me. This is the woman who is still teaching me new things nearly every time I'm with her. She might not realize this, because often these are things that I learn simply from watching her and listening to her.

Yesterday, I called her at 8 a.m. and began to apologize for waking her up. She just laughed and said she'd been up for hours and was out walking "way out here in Birch Court", which is probably a good half mile from her place.

So there you have it. One of the things I learned from her is the value of exercise - at any age, and despite whatever aches and pains might be nagging at us.

My mom and dad raised five kids on a small college professor's salary, supplemented by her earnings as a piano teacher. She sewed, gardened, preserved the produce, and knew how to stretch a dollar. And while I learned to sew and garden, the one thing I regret never really learning is how to budget. It scares me. But I did inherit her tendency toward thriftiness - also known as "cheap".

When I reflect on the many things I learned from my mom, the one I value the most is the ability to sew. Because of her, I've always made clothing for myself and my daughters. One of the first things I remember making was is the early 60s when wrap-around dresses were popular. These resembled the hospital gowns that have three armholes. She made one for herself and one for me, and I made one for my doll.

And that was how I learned the art of sewing. From doll clothes, I progressed to simple clothing for myself. Of course, this is also where I learned my propensity for perfection. If I made a mistake that had to be ripped out and begged her to fix it, she'd fix me with a look and say, "Nope, you do it."

That drove me nuts. It often resulted in my throwing the item down and running off to do something else. But eventually, I returned to complete the project. As a result, I can read nearly any pattern, change whatever parts I don't like, and alter just about any item of clothing to fit me.

Now that I'm thinking about this, I'm pretty sure I've never thanked her for teaching me to sew, to look at a ready-made clothing item and instead of buying it, thinking that I could make it for less and know it would fit better.

So Mother, thanks. I love you. For many, many reasons.