Check your ego. Often.


17, 21



Offer gifts to the Lord. Maybe it's your school work, or your career, or the kid you raise, or your life in general. Wrap it up and make it a present to the Lord.


9-15



You will never be good enough for the wrong person. This truth is profound and one I wish I learned a lot earlier in my life. Stop tripping over yourself to please someone who doesn’t get you.


21



Before a play date or sleepover ask the parent “Are there any unlocked guns in the house?”


6-9



A dear friend of the family used to swear by the many healing properties of Seabreeze (alcohol based astringent.) She’d prescribe it for everything from sunburn to bug bites, rashes and scrapes. it stung like heck but she was right: The stuff is a miracle! I always keep a bottle Seabreeze around and think of Mimi every time I use it.


18



Be mindful of the patterns we’re falling into as a family. Teach them to be mindful of their patterns too.


6, 8, 12, 18



Chemistry is not the same thing as compatibility.


16, 19, 21



Your life is way bigger than one relationship. Or one grade, or one job, or one choice, or one event, or one gift. Make room for all of it even when some of it will most certainly hurt.


17



Difficult conversations are…difficult. If you have to deliver bad news, don’t beat around the bush but prepare them for what’s coming rather than just blurting it out. “I have some news that’s going to be difficult to hear…” Or “Is this a good time to talk?” Those are just a couple examples, but many more are available. Look it up or ask people who routinely have to give bad news.


20



Some days it feels like your world is falling apart, but what's really happening is that it's falling into place. Make good choices. Be kind. Be brave. Trust.


15, 21



Adopting a “do it right now” mentality has done wonders for my organization


10, 12, 16



Plants eat sunlight. Eat mostly plants.


14, 17, 21



A person is only as good as how they treat you when they are angry with you.


17



Not knowing what you’re doing is a lot less terrifying than not knowing who to trust.


14, 19, 21



My mom did laundry twice a week: Tuesdays and Saturdays. She separated colors! It never piled up and we all had clean clothes. I do laundry daily, it's never done and we can't find what we need. Ask Grandma what was her secret to the science of laundry. Because it's now your job to do all your own laundry!


14



Teach car maintenance: Adding air to tires, checking oil, etc.


13-17



Read "A Wrinkle in Time" (me too.)


10



Never enter into (or stay in) a relationship with someone based on their “potential.” It’s a recipe for misery, resentment and frustration.


19



Don’t worry about finding your person. Focus on finding your people.


15, 21



People are insecure. Be mindful of fragile egos (we all have them to a degree.) Avoid implying that people aren't doing a good job.


20



“You don’t emerge from $@!#% empty-handed” a friend once told me. Even the worst periods of your life will bring gifts. Be thankful for those gifts, and enjoy them.


19



Don’t go to sleep on a full stomach.


10, 15, 17, 19



Follow your dreams…not your boyfriend’s.


16



Make a pound of ground beef go further by adding chopped cabbage or mushrooms.


19



Think about God as the driver of our car or the pilot of a plane- He gets us through the storm, he shows us and encourages us to enjoy the beauty of the scenery. But all the while He keeps us with him. He doesn’t cause the storms, He gets us through them. We can trust in his goodness and wisdom even when the conditions are really scary.


5, 12



Fall in love with a person, not a feeling.


19



Dress to people will listen to you, not look at you. (This is especially true at school and work.)


15, 18, 21



Be thankful for opportunities to be of service. It means God is trusting you to help.


8-14



It’s very easy to wander into trouble- not usually easy to wander out of it.


12