It's like they always used to say...

Emotion / Emotion : Eleanor Haley



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When my daughter was younger, I found a page she had written in her journal that simply read,

“Moon, dune, I’ll be with you soon.”

I don’t know why, I don’t know what for - she doesn’t remember either - but still to this day, I say it to her. Half teasing and half serious—what it actually means, I do not know. But to me, it means something along the lines of, “We’re separated and I miss you, but I’ll see you again soon.”

When I was younger, every time I left the house, my dad would say,

“Have a creative and productive day.”

To me, it meant: do what is expected of you, but also find time for fun, wonder, and art. This saying perfectly encapsulated my musical, Mr. Rogers–loving parents. And today, it’s something I often share with my children as they walk out the door in the morning.


What phrases and sayings do you fondly remember?

What are the words and phrases you remember as being specific and unique to the people in your life—especially those who are gone? What are the sayings and “isms” you associate with them? Did you have little private phrases you shared with each other?

Do you say these things now? And when you do, does it feel like a way to connect with that person? Does it make you stop and smile? Do you turn to the person next to you and say, “My grandma always used to say that”?

Making these sayings our own, and continuing to say them, is one small way we can maintain bonds with the people who have died. In this spirit, we’d love for you to share the things your loved ones used to say in the comments below. Our only request is to keep it relatively clean and kind.

Please note that comments require approval (we’re constantly waging war with the bots!), so they won’t appear right away, but check back soon!


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28 Comments on "It's like they always used to say..."

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  1. Donna  May 21, 2026 at 6:01 am Reply

    Remember, Always Look Out For Number One, And Remember, You Are Number One.

    At least we’ve got a $1.50 (for a cup of coffee.)

    Just be glad we don’t have to depend on them or anyone–it’s just you and me.

    I love you, and I always miss you.

    Just remember your always loved. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love You, I love you, as he kissed every finger on my hand.

  2. Jess  February 5, 2026 at 6:03 am Reply

    My grandma always used to enter the room with a cheerful “howdy doody!” and I use it as a greeting to this day. She also once described froyo as “crapity crap” (she preferred ice cream) and the hyperactive dog as “running around like a fart in a mitten.” My siblings and I still use these phrases.

  3. Susan  November 23, 2025 at 7:16 am Reply

    My Mom has been gone for 38 yrs., was born in December and was a fraternal twin (her brother has been gone 26 yrs). My Dad was born in June and he has been gone for 15 yrs. I alternate placing seasonally appropriate flowers in a cemetery co
    at their grave or having an
    announced Mass said on their special days. My Mom’s B-day was also my paternal grandmother’s B-day as well as the anniversary of her husband’s very sudden death. For Christmas the cemetery does a fundraiser and places wreaths on the grave. I find doing those things to be comforting and lessens the pain just a bit.

  4. Michelle Alvis  October 26, 2025 at 6:49 pm Reply

    “Did you Kids eat?”

  5. jacquelyn sommers  October 26, 2025 at 1:14 pm Reply

    My husband would answer the phone and greet friends with a “what’s up?” instead of a hello or hi. Now friends greet me with that same phrase! Just hearing that greeting makes me feel so close to my husband and reassures me that he is not forgotten.

  6. Rebecca  October 26, 2025 at 9:11 am Reply

    My mom always said to me “Life’s not fair”. And she always said to my sister “With friends like yours, who needs enemies “. My late husband said “You have the internet in your pocket” when my daughter or I asked a question he couldn’t answer. I say this to my daughter all the time and others who knew him. My sister and I reminisce about my mother’s sayings often. She had others she would use with other people and her sayings were included in her eulogy.

  7. ~k  October 26, 2025 at 1:50 am Reply

    from my father, a truck driver,
    “things always look better in the daylight”
    whether be deep mental woes, lost job, things wrecked/ruined, buying that car/house…
    ups and downs of life all seemed to be more bearable/better in the light of day.

    2
  8. ~k  October 26, 2025 at 1:42 am Reply

    Keep movin’

    ….as in do not go stagnant/stop, any movement no matter how slow forward is good…

    1
  9. Shirley Tingley  October 25, 2025 at 2:29 pm Reply

    When the girls were young, we ate at Pizza Hut for the family meal many times. The youngest daughter would get squirmy and just couldn’t wait. My husband, Ken, would say ” it’s going to be here before you know it” to help her be patient. After that, anytime one of us would get impatient, Ken would say “PIZZA” ! That always reminded us ” to wait patiently for the good things, they will come before you know it “.

    1
  10. donna perotti  October 24, 2025 at 9:11 pm Reply

    My husband would look at me and say ” So far so good ”
    I don’t say it to anyone but hearing him say it to me reminds me of what was us and still is.

  11. Gina  October 23, 2025 at 2:43 pm Reply

    Dad – “You can’t fix stupid!”.

  12. KRISTIN R  October 23, 2025 at 1:36 pm Reply

    When I got a pixie cut, my Dad would say, You look like yourself again.

    1
  13. Alana Craig  October 23, 2025 at 1:34 pm Reply

    “Be safe. Be smart.”

  14. Norma Cable  October 23, 2025 at 12:22 pm Reply

    My dad always used to say “you know something, I really love you”

    3
  15. Amanda M  October 23, 2025 at 8:28 am Reply

    My mom always used to say “One day at a time”. Whenever difficult times would come to our family, especially at the end of her life, she would say this a lot. I took comfort knowing all I needed to do was take things, literally, one day at a time, and it would be ok.

    3
  16. Rose  October 23, 2025 at 6:22 am Reply

    Work hard and have lot’s of fun

    1
  17. Cleo Rogers  October 23, 2025 at 1:26 am Reply

    “Be good,” was said often by my Mom before I would leave the house. She died from ALS last October (2024).

    “Go out there and kick some ass!” was said often by her husband and my stepdad Scott. He died from kidney failure this September (2025)

    2
  18. Gina L Cannary  October 22, 2025 at 7:37 pm Reply

    Hubby used to say “expect the best” as his tagline. I added that snippet to my first ever tattoo at age 64. Its good advice, I think.

    1
  19. Melissa  October 22, 2025 at 6:04 pm Reply

    My sister’s reply to “Drive Carefully” was always “No, I’m going to drive willy nilly!” So I use that now.

    1
  20. Julie  October 22, 2025 at 5:36 pm Reply

    When my dad would tuck my brother & me in at night, before he left the room he would say “Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite, but if they do…” and my brother and I would joyously cry out “Bite them back!”

    2
  21. Cathy  October 22, 2025 at 5:30 pm Reply

    My Mom used to say – just to be silly as she encouraged us to finish our dinner: ‘put that noodle on your navel and make it novel’
    She is now 91 and I’ll remind her of this!

    1
  22. Heather B  October 22, 2025 at 4:03 pm Reply

    No matter what you do, I will always love you.

    Spoken by my dad who died when I was twenty years old.

    3
  23. Laurie Nelson  October 22, 2025 at 3:57 pm Reply

    My mother’s maiden name was Furlong.
    When someone would comment on something temporary in nature, we would respond, “But not Furlong.” Other people wouldn’t even know it was a pun, but it made us feel like we had a shared secret.
    “There a plate of home baked cookies in the kitchen.”
    “But not Furlong.”

    2
  24. Alison R Milne  October 22, 2025 at 2:52 pm Reply

    Sleep tight. Wake up smiling!

    1
  25. Isabel Abdallah  October 22, 2025 at 2:18 pm Reply

    In memory of Wael Abdallah. My Father. A Son. A Brother. A Grandpa.

    Family is important, family is everything. When it comes to this busy society that we live in. This inspires me. Remembering this keeps me in check so that I can always keep this in mind when it comes to my own family.

    Another one that I can always remember is when he would say “Be your own boss”. Meaning work for yourself and not for someone else, he was always motivating us (me and my siblings) in that manner. Coming from a family of uncles and aunts, cousins owning their own business and being successful in there own lives. This was put upon us to do the same. It still inspires me to this day and every day to be better than I was the day before. To always follow your dreams, but never get to a point where work takes over your life. There are other things that matter, it shouldn’t be the center of your happiness.

    1
  26. Ruth  October 22, 2025 at 2:18 pm Reply

    My dad used to say “it will be ok” and I always trusted him ❤️

    3
  27. Elisabeth Groninger  October 22, 2025 at 2:10 pm Reply

    My grandmother would advise “don’t borrow trouble” – in other words, don’t worry about something ahead of time because it probably won’t happen

    1
  28. Erin J Vache  October 22, 2025 at 2:05 pm Reply

    My mom always said “See you in the morning when the sun comes up” when putting me to bed as a kid and also to my kids.

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