Take those lessons to heart

You know, when you're a kid, your parents inundate you with so many lessons.

Parents teach us so much, but when do we realize this- We realize it every day, in so many situations.

My dad used to tell us, "When I was a kid, we had to walk to school in the snow, uphill" (you know the story).

My dad grew up in Washington, D.C., so the "walking to school in the snow" used to make me laugh.

When he was in his mid-teens, my dad was sent to my grandparents' farm, which they'd just bought in Ashburn. He farmed that land until he was 45, at which time my grandfather sold the farm.

My dad's name was Chuck Woycik Sr., and he had the reputation of being the "biggest farmer in Loudoun County." You see, my dad was 6-feet-8 and 350 pounds, every bit of it a big teddy bear.

There was a bully who rode my school bus, and one day I finally got sick of his taunting.

I asked my dad to pick me up at the bus, which was at the end of our mile-long driveway, but I wanted him to stand beside the truck.

Folks, the minute that bully saw my dad, he left me alone the rest of the year.

The lesson I learned that day was that my dad was a superhero. Dad passed away two years ago, but he's still a superhero to me.

My mother was always a stay-at-home mom, and she worked at my high school cafeteria for a while.

I loved the fact that my mom was the "cool lunch lady" who always gave my friends extra fries and a smile.

When I sat down with some of my school chums one day, one of the girls asked me, "Doesn't it embarrass you that your mom works in the school cafeteria-"

I was horrified and angry beyond belief.

I stood up and told her, "No, quite the opposite! I am very proud of my mom for providing for our family!"

That's the last time I sat with that girl for lunch. And I was still proud of my mom, and hit high-fives with my friends.

You see, my parents always taught me that, no matter what kind of job you have, you can take pride in it.

You work hard - it's a no-brainer.

No one can take pride in sitting back on his or her laurels and expecting to make it in life. My parents taught us that you live a good life, you strive to become a good person and you are responsible for everything that happens in your life.

You "do the crime, you do the time." No one is going to bail you out of a mess you've gotten yourself into.

And one of the top lessons I learned was that you don't ever burn a bridge, because you never know when you may have to cross it again. I've crossed one of those bridges again - and I was very happy I didn't burn that bridge!

One winter, we had a blizzard of epic proportions (or so it seemed). We lived in an extremely remote area (at the time).

The power was out for nearly a week, and boy were we bored!

But you know how parents are - my dad taught me how to play poker (uh-oh, my secret's out now) and my mom kept the vittles going on the wood stove.

It was one of the best times of my life, in retrospect. We told stories (between griping over who would bring in wood for the stove) and went ice skating on the pond out front, after my dad "tested" the ice.

You see, he figured if the ice would hold a 350-pound man, it would definitely hold three youngins!

My mom would have some hot chocolate ready for us when we came in.

Looking back, I feel so fortunate to have those precious memories from my youth.

Kids, take your parents' lessons to heart.

Hope A. Smith is an independent columnist and resident of Orange County. Her column appears on Friday. E-mail