Have A Care

Be careful. Take care. Have a care. Take care of.
I've been thinking about how my mother always cautioned us to be careful or to take care of, or the older term have a care.

We were taught to take care of our belongings because there wasn't the means to replace anything we ruined. Clothes could be mended or patched, but if you didn't want to wear patched jeans, be careful not to tear them in the first place.
If you broke or lost one of your toys, too bad. You would wait until your birthday or Christmas for anything to replace it.

It wasn't just things she warned us to be careful of, she also warned us to take care of ourselves. Not to do things that would endanger us or cause bodily harm.

Not that I always paid attention to that, as evidenced by this photo of me almost at the top of that tall evergreen tree. But overall, Mom imbued in me the lasting habit of being careful. Taking care of. Having a care. And when I am consciously doing so, it gives me the loving sense of my mother, very much a part of me.