In the movies, mothers are portrayed as portly, gray haired and with aprons around their waist. In reality nowadays, mothers are younger, employed with a husband and two children. A middle class family also known as a “nuclear family”. However, we also have single mothers, mothers who have adopted children and mothers whose children were conceived by sperm donors. Regardless, they are still mothers and this month, we honor them.
There are many reasons why we bestow this honor. It goes way back in time where mothers bore the brunt of surviving in a hostile environment helping feeding, clothing and educate their children in ways of the family traditions. Traditions that allow the family to follow a code of behavior and mannerisms.
While the father, in his way, teaches a young boy to grow up in a manly version of himself, the mother instills the emotional stability of their children. Right from wrong is taught by their mothers and punishment is done by them. Why? Because they’re in her care every day even when they leave home they are in her heart and worry. When both parents work, it is the mother who the child first sees when they come back from their work day.
Mothers endure the pains and agonies of their children from their birth to their own dying days. Who else but the mothers hold in their hearts the death of their child in war times, the proudness of their achievements.
It is almost like Mary, mother of Jesus, adoring her son and knowing whats going to happen to him and want to protect him throughout his lifetime. That’s what mothers do and that is why mothers deserve the love and admiration from their children.
Author: Gene Cortez, Jr.
Amway vs Amazon
Back in the late 80s I joined Amway because to me, it was a smart move. Not only for the products it sold, but for the opportunity to own my own business. I could pay a yearly fee to become an individual business owner (IBO) and not have to pay for a building or warehouse space. It was something I could do at home and enjoy all the tax benefits from owning a business while also working at my job.
In the beginning, it was a little difficult because we actually had to sell the products to other customers and deliver the products to their homes. I would tell them about my business and was hopeful they might like the idea of duplicating what I was doing and also become an Amway distributor. At that time, it had some disadvantages because of the constant traveling and making contacts.
However, in the 90s along came the Internet explosion and Amway started getting the idea of using this new tool to sell their products. Mind you, it was primarily for the use of the business owners and not the general public. Later we (as IBOs) could use the internet to relay the products using our own domain to link the sales of other IBO’s I referred to my business, thereby earning points for bonuses from Amway.
Well, when the Dot com bubble burst, we continued to use the internet for our business and it continues to grow to this day. One of the reasons many small internet companies went out of business is they forgot their customers were ready to buy in large quantities, which the internet seller could not provide. So little by little they started dropping out.
Eventually, Amway decided to do away with products that could be bought locally and kept the products they could deliver and test for quality performance. They were first in the market with concentration of cleaners and biological products. They already had make-up products, laundry products, vitamins and water treatment systems. Finally, they added a Partner Store link to other major stores where you could visit each store and buy products from them without leaving the Amway portal. Companies like Sears, Target, Best Buy, Disney, PetSmart and many others are part of the Partner Store program.
Recently, Amway became public and now anyone can shop in their store. That is the essence of what Amway is to me. Now I just tell anyone who is interested they can register as a customer at Amway.com and shop around. They can register using my IBO number which is 217639 and my IBO Key which is COR. Once registered, they can shop to their hearts content!
I’m on the internet constantly. From Google to Facebook to Amazon and my regular email. I signed on with Amazon because it provides everything I need if they have it. I’m also paying for Prime which allows me free shipping on everything I buy and also books and movies streaming on the internet which I can download to my TV which is connected to the internet through a WiFi router.
As in Amway, they have my credit card stashed in their file which pays for any product I want. If you’re not a Prime customer you have to pay for shipping. Most of the time I can find what I need. Sometime I click on the partner stores to look around in Amway. However, I still order my cleaning products from Amway on a regular monthly basis.
Both Amway and Amazon are still evolving and growing. Both of them are the biggest stores on the internet because of their warehouse capability and delivery options.
By the way Amway is short for the American Way. Amazon is Fast Shipping from A to Z.
To me, the main difference between Amway and Amazon is that when I purchase anything through Amazon, I’m helping Jeff Bezos’ bottom line. When I buy through my Amway business, I’m helping mine.
Gene's Corner 