About eight months ago a few of us at the radio station received a really good email from a high school student in Yardville. Her name is Samantha Horne and she asked if we could share any wisdom or advice we received from our mothers.

It was a very detailed post about her project for the Girl Scout’s Gold Award program.

Having a mother who wasn’t shy about sharing her wisdom or her thoughts on life, it wasn’t too hard to find something. I remember my mother repeating old Sicilian sayings that her mother had shared with her throughout her life.

Some of them didn’t translate well into English, but the meaning was still clear. The words were always something about the trials and tribulations of life and they were a cherished memory for all of us.

In today’s world, communication has evolved from speech to many forms available in an instant, online and of course in books. By the way, my grandmother could not read or write.

I shared a simple tip my mom gave me when I was young and maybe I was kinda on my skis in my head. She said, “It’s good to be important, but it’s even more important to be kind.” It’s not the deepest phase ever, but it stuck with me for a long time.

Samantha recently sent us a copy of the little book she’s put together to help girls and young women become better adults. What a thoughtful and meaningful endeavor for a young woman. She did it!

It is available on Amazon and would make a great stocking stuffer for this Christmas and a great gift anytime of the year. It’s called “What would you say to your young me”.

Proceeds will be donated to organizations that support the growth and advancement of young women, such as Girl Scouts and others. We hope the panel sees the great effort and purpose in Samantha’s plan to award her the Girl Scout’s Gold Award. With young people like Samantha living in New Jersey, it gives us all hope for the future.

Congratulations on a great project and a great Samantha book!

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. All opinions expressed are those of Dennis Malloy.

Inventions You Probably Didn’t Know Were Born in New Jersey