Do you have a family motto? Katherine Hepburn once said that her family’s motto was Listen to the song of life.
I wonder, do other families have mottoes? First thing that came to mind for my own family’s motto is “Don’t air your dirty laundry in public.” I know. Not much of a motto. Certainly not as good as Hepburn’s.
The song of life isn’t always in a major key, and it wasn’t always upbeat for Hepburn, who lost her brother, Tom, when they were kids. It was a huge loss for her, personally. Then, her life was nowhere near “traditional.” Her love affair with alcoholic Spencer Tracy was “fraught,” to say the least.
And yet, listening to the song of life, no matter the tune, she persevered and had a remarkable career and long life.
I wonder what it would be like to grow up in a family that lived life looking for the positives and facing the hard stuff head-on, like the Hepburns.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this and also if your family had a motto. If it didn’t, what do you think it would be? And what song is singing now, in your own life?
I love Hepburn’s motto. Our family really didn’t have one but if we did it would be “Experiences are better than things.” We liked to do fun stuff and moved a lot.
My mother’s family had a family crest which said: Bravery and Virtue. But what I remember her telling me was: Don’t find yourself up a creek without a paddle.
I live that motto. We never had a family motto but I’m sure the word family would be in there somewhere.