This year, my New Year’s “Revelations” are based on some of the witticisms and words of wisdom that my mother and father imparted to me.

When I was young, I used to roll my eyes and shake my head at them – not really heeding their words.

Or so I thought.

They’ve since passed, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss them.

Most importantly, their words – often colourful and humorous, but always spot-on – resonate deeply with me today.

I now share them with you.

My mother used to say:

“Read a person’s eyes. Eyes don’t lie.”

You’ve heard the Shakespearean quote before. “The eyes are the window to your soul.”  Not only did my mother know this to be true, she made this her yardstick to determine who was honest and who was not, who was a true friend and who was not, and on and on.  She always told me that if a person won’t look you in the eyes, they were most likely dishonest or hiding something.

Additionally, if someone she knew was experiencing some sort of emotional crisis and masking it with smiles, she would look past the facial expression and note the pain or sorrow in his or her eyes.  She saw everything.  Sometimes we look, but we don’t really see.  My mother taught me how to see.  As a writer, this has become one of my most invaluable skills.

My mother’s grey-green eyes were beautiful, moody and expressive. She and I always spoke to each other with our eyes. We could have complete conversations, without ever uttering a word. I have learned that words are sometimes superfluous.

And, one more thing about eyes:  over the years, I’ve gained enough wisdom and experience to know that – at the end of the day (each day) –  it’s important that we (each of us) are able to look ourselves in the mirror, straight in the eye… and not look away.  What this means is that we have done nothing that we regret, nothing that we should be ashamed of.  What this means is that we have conducted ourselves in a manner that is in keeping with our own moral compass.

It is always a good day when we can look ourselves in the eye.

“Look into my eyes and hear what I’m not saying, for my eyes speak louder than my voice ever will.”

~ Author Unknown

Image via Sodahead.com.