90 seconds or less. No one wants to hear you talk for more than that. (In a personal setting like giving a toast.)


17, 21



Always wear an undershirt with a dress shirt.


15



Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. Unless you're a lifeguard. ;)


16, 21



White privilege doesn’t mean that your life hasn’t been hard, it means that your skin color isn’t one of the things making it harder.


14



Watch the news together. Local and national. Today Show has both of mornings are easier than evenings.


12, 13, 14, 15



Make "place value cups" as a rainy day activity and way to teach big numbers. (google, youtube or pinterest)


6-7



We can learn, we can evolve. Let yourself be moved by the spirit. More beauty, more service, more humanity, deeper (or questioned) faith, more love. Always more love. That’s the best I can hope for: that you live a life full of love.


21



Go on a cruise


12-15



Watch Abby Wambach's 2018 Barnard commencement address together.


16



When you’re struggling with something, you don’t know how you feel or why something is happening... Give it to the Lord. Entrust him with it. He will mold it and soften it so you’re able to process it.


19



Don't say anything out loud that you wouldn't want repeated or overheard. Don't email / text, etc. anything that you wouldn't want forwarded.


11-15



You are a miracle. Take good care of yourself: Mind, body and soul.


21



“You will encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” -Maya Angelou


17



Your mother and I would never want you to sacrifice the wellbeing of your own family for us. They should always be your priority. In the years ahead, make the choices that affirm that.


21



“You can miss a person every day and still be glad that they’re no longer in your life.” — Oprah Winfrey


19



Remember that whoever you’re grieving would only want the best for you.


20



Give book "50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know" by Kay West.


14



Be extra careful when you’re parking or pulling out of a driveway. It’s hard to see little kids or pets.


16



Resource: the website Ask, Listen and Learn has great material about how to start a conversation about the dangers of under-age drinking. asklistenlearn.org


9



So many young adults (and older one too) suffer from a lack of direction, living life without a sense of purpose. ______Here’s my advice: **Do what you love**. ____If you don’t know what that is yet (totally okay) then *go where you’re needed.**___ Make yourself USEFUL doing some sort of work that makes the world (or your family or your community or your country) a better place. Please don’t sit around playing video games or goofing off. That will make you miserable! ___ AND it’s a waste of God’s work (you.) Get busy. _____Stay involved in anything you care about deeply, or that needs you desperately. It will feed your soul and open all kinds of doors.


12, 14, 17



Participate in an exchange program - either through hosting or traveling yourself & immerse yourself in the new culture


17



Water park for fifth birthday


10



Spend time with people you admire, in person and biographies, documentaries, novels and movies.


14-17, 21



Numbing doesn’t work. Let it hurt, let it heal, then it lets itself go.


15,21



I love the quote “The call towards authenticity is sacred” by Paula S. Williams I think it means that a few things: Being called. We are called by something higher to grow and stretch, to evolve. That evolution is a journey that should be undertaken with humility, compassion and love. To impede one’s quest to be authentic, be it our own or another’s, is a grave injustice and should be avoided at all cost.


13, 15, 21



One of the most difficult things in life will be to embrace difficult and unfamiliar ways in order to grow or heal. But doing so is the only way we can grow or heal. You can do hard things. Breathe deep and take it by moment if you have to.


18, 21



Are you proud of the work you did today? Were you respectful and kind? Did you tell the truth and look out for the little ones? If so, I’m happy. I don’t care one bit about grades.


5