“ A vocation is where our anger and our joy meet.” -Sarah Bessey


16



Watch movie Sky Walk (2019) it’s about a school paper.


14, 18



“I don’t give a rat’s $@!#% how much respect u garner out in the world if you don’t show respect and love and serve those you love at home.” ____loosely quoted from Glennon Doyle’s ‘Untamed.’


14, 19



Grit.


14



“First things first!” It’s a constant struggle to get out of the house or complete a task. Hammer home “first things first!” After they’re dressed (or whatever task) THEN they can have screen time or playtime free-time, etc.


4



Visit Aunt Janet in Morehead City for Seafood Festival in October


2-99



Challenge: Memorize and recite The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus.


10



When they’re upset just ask what they need: space, distraction, or talk about it.


12



Just put your best foot forward and get on with it!


14, 17, 21



Sometimes you just have to let go. Let go of a relationship, or a dream, or plans. Let go of a person, a pet, or an object. It's hard. It takes a lot of trust. Trust the Lord will heal the wound, no matter how deep. His goodness is infinite.


16



Surprise! You’re not perfect. No one is. Do your best, but don’t expect perfection from yourself or any other human, young or old. Have compassion...We’re all in this together and we need each other to be kind and encouraging.


17, 21



Slip and Slide party!


8



Don’t waste your time with anyone who doesn’t love you for exactly who you are. Move on, because there is someone out there who will!


17



Forget perfection. Nothing is perfect. No relationship, job, house, or day is perfect. Let go of expectations, be open to the mess.


18



A simple trick to calm your nerves: Name 5 things you can hear right now.


5-15



1

Challenge yourself to excel at something. You’ll be astonished how good you can get by practicing consistently. There’s nothing magical about high school quarterbacks or drummers. Girls like boys who have something going on.


13, 14, 17



You’re not obsessed with that person you’re just hyper fixating. It’s ADHD.


12, 16, 19, 21



Jazz in the Garden free outdoor concerts at National Gallery of Art. Fridays during summer months.


7



Life is difficult...Focus on the joy.


16, 20



Say it early and repeat it often, so that it sinks way down deep: There is nothing you could do to make me stop loving you. No mistake, no failure, no decision, nothing. There is no hole so deep that if you fell into it I wouldn’t climb down to help you out of. I love you no matter what.


7



“The only way out is to love yourself. That’s it. That’s all.” - Valerie Bertinelli


10, 13, 17, 21



Do the work. No short-cuts.


14



Jon Stewart talking about Bruce Springsteen at Kennedy Center Honors: “I didn’t understand his music for a long time. I didn’t understand it until I learned what it is to yearn.” That’s why art hits you differently at different ages. You filter the art through the lens of your life experience.


15, 21



There is a cost and a duty to everything we own. Rachel Maddow


16



If you ever borrow someone’s car, return it with a full tank of gas.


20



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


10



My favorite version of myself is when I’m not worried about what others think of me. I


11, 13, 15, 17, 21



Go for walks together as a family before or after dinner. Sometimes we go for distance, sometimes we call them "safaris" and look for as many living creatures as we can find.


4



A friend of mine lost her son in a horrible accident. She wrote “I don’t believe God caused this but I do believe he can redeem it.” That has stayed with me for years. God doesn’t cause suffering... He showers those who suffer with his grace.


18



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


17