Back to School

My daughter started junior high today and my son started high school. I'm so proud of each of them. Since this is such a significant event in our family's history, I felt like it was a good opportunity to talk about what's important. I sat down yesterday and came up with this list of things that I would like for the kids to remember this year at school, and hopefully for the rest of their lives:

Thoughts on Beginning a New School Year

In life, you can either be happy or unhappy – choose happy.

Be yourself. Who you are is a gift from God and you honor Him by being exactly what He created you to be. Being you is a form of worship. Be attuned to what gives you real satisfaction and focus on that.

Do your best and then leave it in God’s hands. You can only do so much. Whatever the task, do your best and then don’t fret over it.

Tell me who you run with and I’ll tell you what you are. Choose your friends carefully. Surround yourself with positive, happy people that are helpful to you. Ben Franklin: “Be slow in choosing a friend; slower in changing them.”

Make good decisions. As you get older, the decisions start to mean more. Take time to think and don’t be afraid to ask for help. We don’t know all the answers but we’ve made a lot of mistakes that might be helpful to you.

Do things for the right reasons. Don’t do things because you want to please someone or get them to like you. The fastest way to misery and failure is trying to please everyone. Do things because they reflect who you are – an amazing, unique child of God.

Be gracious and positive. Don’t be critical – look for the good in every situation and person. You will be happier and will attract people that encourage you and give you life. Always be looking for some way to be helpful to others. It is better to be happy than right.

Open mind and open heart. When dealing with people, don’t be quick to judge - you haven’t walked in their shoes. God may have put you with someone to help them at a specific moment.

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. When bad things happen, take a moment to learn from them.

Make it a habit to enjoy the moment. Depression comes when we fret about the past or worry about the future. Don’t get caught up in the busy-ness of everything and miss it. Enjoy each moment – take in the sights, the sounds, the smells.

Make room in your life for beauty. Music, art, dance – whatever relaxes and inspires you. It is NOT a waste of time. Making this a priority will benefit you in everything else you do.

Emphasize simplicity. Henry David Thoreau: “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler”. Don’t be afraid to say “no” to things. Life is hard enough without further complicating it. Eliminate physical clutter, eliminate emotional clutter, and eliminate spiritual clutter. Things block our view of God.

Get organized. Different methods work for different people, but find something that works for you and stick with it. WRITE IT DOWN.

You can always come home. No matter how bad you think you may have screwed up, you can always call us or come home. We love you and nothing will ever change that.