Key to Life and Julia Lennon

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
- John Lennon

This quote from John Lennon is often referred in messages on happiness. Particularly, because of the quote, I wondered what sort of personality did John Lennon's mother, Julia Lennon have. Although earlier biographies depicted her as a flirtatious and frivolous woman, later accounts showed her as a wonderful woman with a heart of gold, warm, jovial, playful and with a love for music. She bought John his first guitar, taught him banjo and ukulele chords and also how to play the piano accordion. She comes across as a woman for whom love was a primary motivator and who was trying to manage her life in a old-fashioned society, with a family which frequently challenged her decisions. Her tragic death in a road accident traumatized John and her memory inspired songs such as Julia and Mother. For someone who was trying to follow her heart while balancing the several demands placed on her by her family and social norms, she certainly seemed capable of conveying the message that happiness is the key to life.