Life Lessons

There are two kinds of people with ADD: those who make lists and those who think they don’t have to. Me? I’m a list-maker convert. And a calendar keeper. And a PDA alarm setter for all-things-mucho-importante.

Of course I didn’t start out this way. Life has a way of making us face our limits--countless missed appointments with penalty fees and botched schedules were mine. My final day of reckoning came when I sent my three children to school in their pajamas on Pajama Day-- only to find it wasn’t. It was time to admit I had a problem and get professional help.


And so I’ve become a list-maker and to some extent it has helped. At times it even makes me happy. Maybe it’s because lists create the illusion that I am in control of my universe. An entire day of endless possibilities suddenly becomes contained and tamed with a few jotted words on paper. Best of all, like a long chorus of “Atta-girls!”, a list with completed check marks congratulate me for having conquered my little sphere of space and time.

Not long after my list-making conversion I began my ultimate list--my list of life lessons. After age 40 I began to think about the things I had learned about myself so far and about life in general. I thought about the most important things I value, things I struggle with, things I’ve mastered and things that still master me.

Whether from my own “ah-ha!” moments of experience, precious truths God has to teach me over and over or wisdom offered from other people, this list is a creation in process. And realizing that I will not know nearly enough even by the time I am a Real Grown-Up, my guess is that this list will simply continue to grow along with me.


Life Lessons:

Slow down. Savor life. The one with the busiest schedule doesn’t win.

True friends know who you are and stick around anyway.

Look for meaning; find a purpose; find your calling.

Live well--enjoy food, care about others, love nature and thank God for it all.

Truly beautiful things in our homes are personal, useful and meaningful--if possible, all three.

Don’t settle for imitation; life is too short for posturing. Be real.

You aren’t a grown up until you’re 40. Everything before was just practice.

Let people know you’ve made mistakes. It’s what makes us human and allows others
around us to be human too.

A home is to be lived and loved in. If it isn’t a little tattered, something’s wrong.

Always bring “life-light” into every room--candles, fireplace, sunlight.

Remember to play or you’ll forget how.

Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

Falling in love shouldn’t lead you down the aisle until you’ve fallin “in like” first

Stop working by 6pm (yes, the laundry can wait!) to rest and be with others you care
about.

Be a blessing.

Tell the truth.

Forgive because you have been forgiven.

“You are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do good works which he planned in advance for you to do” Ephesians 2:10

Pray for those who hurt you, others or themselves; it will soften your heart

Stand up to bullies; stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

Hot honey and lemon tea for sore throats, Band-Aids for everything else.

Love is a choice and once chosen, it only gets better with time.

Pride sucks.

When mired in messy toddler poo, take heart: few college grads are still wearing diapers.

Walk in the sunshine as often as you can-- look up and marvel! Nothing we could ever own
can compare to what we already have for free.

Making the most of who God made you to be celebrates Him; comparing yourself to
others only makes it about you or reveals your doubt on the One who made you.

Eternal life will be a glorious do-over.

Each day is not a test to be graded; it ‘s an opportunity to learn something new

Love does not exist without Freedom to choose it.

Freedom to choose evil is the price Love pays to exist.

“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something”--Dread Pirate Roberts, Princess Bride.

Toys you should never give unless seeking revenge: play dough, ooze, anything with a million parts or anything loud.

Discipline without relationship leads to rebellion.

The best toys ever invented: blankets over chairs and tables, pots and pans, building blocks, crayons.

Children forget all we do the first few years of their life--the countless “Goodnight Moons” and the frequent moments of lost sanity-but they will remember they were loved.

Forgiveness is what we need from our children for our mistakes about the same time we realize we need to forgive our parents for theirs. There is no such thing as a perfect childhood.

There is a God and I am not it. (Exodus 20:2,3)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him.” Proverbs 3:5

Assure your children that there is nothing they can do to ever make you stop loving them.

Consequences are the best teachers. Love your children enough to let them struggle.