My mother passed on to us the joy of giving that her parents had taught her. We never had much money growing up, so presents were not lavish. My Mum impressed on us that the choice of gift should make clear that you put a lot of thought into it and that it took you a long time to find the right item. I still love giving in this way!

Even though she left school at 14 or 15, my mother received an excellent and cultivated education. Her parents and the actors and dancers that she met when she was in the ballet saw to that. She interested me in philosophy when I was about 12, and she was entirely responsible for fostering my brother's interest in music even to the point of helping him with his career.

My mother cultivated my interest in poetry as a child. She gave me her precious copy of poems by the Australian poet Roland Robinson with his notes in the margin. Roland was a friend of my parents and often went camping with them. He visited us until I was around three years of age when he lost contact with my parents. Mom's favorite poem by Roland was The Sermon Of The Birds (http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/roland-robinson/the-sermon-of-the-birds/). For more on Roland see http://www.poemhunter.com/roland-robinson/biography/

My mother told me grand stories about her time in the ballet. She studied dance with Wally Desborough in Adelaide, and with Kuznetsova (spelling?) in Sydney. I loved the diversity of these tales and the colorful cast of characters. I believe it helped me to love diversity as an adult. I am sure my mother embellished a lot of the stories -- but what of it, it made for a richer tale!