In Mom We Trust: Lessons From the Heart

As we celebrate Mother's Day, I want to share some history of my mother who we lost 30 years ago in March. Her passing preceded LinkedIn by about a decade and she never got to have a presence on this amazing networking platform. Yet, she was so influential to me and my sisters from a life and career standpoint that I want to share her story here.

Margareta Andrews née Langert, grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden. She studied nursing in Stockholm and first came to the US in 1967 as a part of the Swedish Red Cross nursing program. She was based in Boston and had aspirations of moving to the West Coast (likely San Francisco) after a couple of years.

Her plans quickly changed when she met and fell in love with my father, Joseph Andrews, a physician. They married, settled in Boston and started a family, with me arriving first followed by my twin sisters, Sara and Jennifer .

Mom was a homemaker while we were young and she volunteered for various organizations. Our childhoods were “idyllic” and her presence and love were felt unconditionally. When we were adolescents, she decided to go back to school and earned her BA in Business from Bentley College in Waltham, MA. She started a brand new career in insurance sales in her 40s and was successful by every measure. Unfortunately, her new career was accompanied by a diagnosis of breast cancer, which she fought bravely for several years.?

She ultimately lost her battle in March of 1994. She was 51. I was 21. I won’t pretend that my sisters and I had easy paths. We took some time off of school. We put our heads down, worked hard and we persevered. We each forged our own paths, built our own careers and families. And we continue to carry her lessons with us. Here are a few short nuggets of her wisdom I cherish today:

1. Be in charge of your own destiny - she did not believe in pre-ordained paths. She came to a new country, had several careers (in her short time) and was purposeful and deliberate about where she invested her time and energy.
2. Build your own financial independence - she faced financial, health and work challenges throughout her life and was determined to teach my sisters and I that we should be able to support ourselves and not rely on others. She carried this mission through in her insurance career too as she helped others in a significant way.
3. Find joy in the small moments - she knew and taught us that life was short even before her own cruel ending. She always encouraged us to “smell the roses” and to enjoy the process and the journey of our lives, even throughout its challenges.
4. Take calculated risks - while being financially secure was job one, she also encouraged making big changes and taking the “road less traveled by” that could bring fulfillment and lead to a more purposeful life. I like to think that my own switch from pre-med to a business and technology education and career track, moving to California, and many other choices that are aligned with this mantra.
5. Relationships are the most important currency in life - she built some amazing close friendships (my sisters and I are still in touch with many of her friends today) and assembled work mentors who helped to guide her career path.

I would love to have a career conversation today with mom. I would tell her how grateful I am for the lessons and guidance she provided. Mostly, I would just love for her to enjoy the fruits of her labor, see the adults the three of us have become, and take pride in the full lives we’ve created with her love and spirit inside us.

#motherhood #mothersday #womenshistory #parenting #leadership