When you are young and your parents trot out some lame expression designed to teach you a life lesson, such as "if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all" or "you can do anything you put your mind to," you likely roll your eyes and chalk up their "lameness" to the fact that they are old and out of touch. When you grow up and experience a little bit of life, you suddenly realize that maybe those expressions really do have meaning and are helpful to remember when navigating life's big and little ups and downs.
Being raised "old school" in a traditional Irish-Catholic household with a no-nonsense mother and a traditional, old-fashioned father, Renee' Gatz had a lifetime of hearing their various expressions—profound, funny, and even sarcastic. Without realizing it, these expressions stayed with her and came back to her at the appropriate moments in her life to help her laugh, understand, or survive. She has compiled those expressions in her first book, "Wise Words & Witty Expressions" and hopes that you find the same wisdom, insight, humor, and shear enjoyment in these words that she has grown to appreciate.