Lillian Secrest Buie's Weblog

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned From My Mother

A collection of quotations from Lillian Buie, given to her by her four children, Christmas, 1989.

Basic integrity always  comes through.  See?  Ann sent Olivia McKoy $10 for Christmas.

There are two basics you must have to survive: a deep, abiding faith and a sense of humor.

Just ignore that behavior.  She’s eleven.

He’ll be all right in a few years.  He’s climbing “Fool’s Hill.”

The kitchen’s yours now, girls.  Clean the dishes e-FEE-ciently.

Housework can wait.  This looks like a good book.

No.  You may NOT go to an unchaperoned party.

Eat three balanced meals daily.  Food must look attractive and be easy to fix.

The party will be here.  I have it all planned.  Dance #1 with Billy.  Walk around the block with Leggette.  Force conversation with David…etc…

Summer Schedule: Up at nine, leisurely breakfast, river by eleven, fresh vegetables at one, rest time until four, back to the river, light supper at six, bridge until bedtime.

How does anybody survive without buddycakes?

How does anybody survive without the telephone?

There are two lasting things you give to your children. One is roots; the other is wings.  Now girls, you have the roots.  Here’s some money for the wings.

The man who predicted the Rapture doesn’t have the IQ of a chicken.

Most of life’s work is done by people who don’t feel very good.

It’s better to laugh than it is to cry.

There’s a story in every person.

She’s your fourth cousin twice removed.  Y’all need to get together.

I don’t go by a recipe.  Just a dash of this and a dash of that.  (It always tastes delicious.)

I'll make the chocolate pies.

When most people talk, they aren’t asking for answers.  They’ll find their own answers if you just listen to them carefully.

Eric Severeid once said, “Next to power without honor, the most dangerous thing in the world is power without humor.”

There’s a funny side to almost any situation.

Even though the idea is good, that one misspelled word will ruin it.

Be consistent with your verb tenses.

Happiness is seeing your own ideas in print.

You can’t separate the man from the party.

Of course, I’d vote for a yellow dog if he (or she) were a Democrat.

Ted Kennedy – what a blessed boy.

How’s Mima’s boy?  He’s the most beautiful, the most precious, the smartest, the best child in the world.

When’s the last time you had a check-up?

I should have been a preacher.  I missed my calling.

Well, I finished that book in an hour.

Here Lady, Here Lady, Here Lady, Here Lady, Here Lady, Here Lady, Here Lady

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty Kitty

Well, bless your heart.

Happiness is a boxer puppy.

There are gremlins in the washing machine.

I don’t understand how this works.  I guess it’s just magic.

I HATE computers.

Well, either there’s another place to meet passengers, she’s had car trouble, or she’s lying in a ditch.

I’m absolutely desperate.

That was A+ behavior.

Music is one of the joys of life – even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

It’s just not a big deal.  We’ll pretend the car is a stable.

I’ve reached the age when I can do exactly what I want to.

Well, it’s really nobody’s fault.

I don’t want to hear anything negative.

I love Pollyanna. She’s been greatly misunderstood.

And… six years later, June, 1995  (Mother’s response)

Always tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, being concrete on WHY.  This expression of appreciation and love from those dearest to me continue to sustain and comfort me.  I love you.

'Pollyanna Syndrome' Does Injustice to Pollyanna

Psychologists and ministers who use the derogatory term, “Pollyanna Syndrome” never read the book. That little girl didn’t deny the bad events in her life. She just didn’t wallow in self-pity and make everybody else miserable. And she based her philosophy on Christ’s teachings.

What to do when you're depressed

When you’re depressed, concentrate on others instead of self.

Life will always be worth living...

As long as there are silly kittens, summer butterflies, and daughters who know how to say “I love you,” the world will retain its special glow.

Flattery is always irresistible, so once again I find myself involved in something I haven’t time for

Jesse Helms As Seen By Shakespeare

On elementary school classmate Jesse Helms’ re-election victory, she quotes Shakespeare: “God made him. Therefore let him pass for a man.” -- from Fall, 1978 journal.

To Have Succeeded, By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lil's niece, Mary Anna Pence, gave her this poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson on the occasion of her 80th birthday. Lil introduced many students to Emerson and his poetry.

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded. 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

American Essayist & Poet

Good Teachers and Good Students Go Hand In Hand

If good teachers inspire students to learn, good students inspire teachers to teach. You cannot have one without the other. Good students make good teachers, not just the other way around. This award (for North Carolina English Teacher of the Year) belongs to my students as much as it belongs to me.

Every teacher has to be part actor

We have a lot of fun in my class, but I don’t go overboard.

It’s nice to have a good time, but I’m not scared of bored students. After all, life is often filled with dirty dishes.