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Mother's Day Wisdom

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When I was in college I was laser focused on getting a job in television. I did internships, worked at CNN over the summer, and graduated summa ****** laude. Everyone said “Oh Jane’s going to get hired right out of school!” And I waited, and waited and waited but nothing was happening.

I was applying for jobs all over the country. It didn’t matter how small, I knew I had to start at the bottom and work my way up and honestly was willing to do anything. I sent out audition tapes to so many stations, that I stopped counting at 70 rejection letters. Needless to say I was feeling pretty discouraged, and wondering if a career change was in order.

In order to make ends meet I was teaching fitness classes, but that was not enough. My Mom was working and needed help around the house. So I became her housekeeper! I cleaned, organized and even had an epic yard sale. Every week I would tackle a new project to help my Mom. This went on until December, and it was getting tough to hang in there when nothing was coming. But I kept applying, driving to job interviews, and with Mom’s help keeping the faith.

On Christmas morning my Mom and Dad and I were exchanging presents. My Mom collected Hummels and loved them because they reminded her of her children as babies and toddlers. She gave me my first Hummel, a little girl with a scrub brush called “Big Housekeeping.” She wrote me a beautiful note about how work is prayer, and every job counts, and my talent and determination would pull me through. She always told me to “run for the roses!”

Of course I shed happy tears over this precious gift.

It was a few months later that I finally got a “yes!” on a job interview. It was for a small station in New Jersey where we did a nightly news and several weekly shows. After that I headed to Rhode Island to be the host and producer of “Real to Reel” a Catholic TV show with affiliates all over the country. One year later I was back in Philadelphia hosting the same show in my home town on PHL-17. And then, there was an ad in the paper looking for hosts for a new network called QVC…and you know the rest!

Now that I am a Mom of daughters pursuing careers in the performing arts, I think back to the faith and conviction my Mom had for me. I know she worried that months were going by with no job prospects, but she never let me know. She was my cheerleader, my inspiration, my best friend. I tell my girls that God gave them talent and it is their responsibility to use what God gave them. My faith in them is as strong as my Mom’s was in me. Her legacy of support and strength lives on from generation to generation.

Happy Mother’s Day!