Letter to My Daughter, Nieces and Sisters.

Dear lovelies,

I have been thinking about nuggets of wisdom, lessons I have learned in my 31+ years of life, and a few of my hopes for you.  Here they are.

1.) "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:4

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matthew 6:33

The world tells us to seek after wealth, beauty, relationships, sex and success, but these things are merely shallow water.  There is a deeper thirst inside of us, and a deeper well we must go to.  God is the source of love, beauty and life.  I hope you take your thirsty heart to God.

2.) Be contemplative. 

Spend time in silence and stillness so you can listen to your heart.  Make time for original thought.  We live in a noisy world with media, TV, iPods, internet, and incessant talking.  Create sacred space, carve it out so you can bring your truest heart to God and the world everyday.

3.) Be brave.

It takes courage to become the original you were created to be.  People will oppose you as a non-conformist.  There are very few leaders and millions of followers.  Learn to be a leader and resist people pleasing.  People's opinions are flawed.  Keep an audience of one - God alone.  He knows your heart and you know your heart.  Let this guide your decision making.  

4.) If you have the choice to sit it out or dance, dance. I hope you dance.

May you be blessed with an absurd amount of joy and laughter in your life.  Let it be ever flowing.

5.) Hang with a good crowd.

Surround yourself with people you respect, admire, make you laugh, bring you closer to love, and people who will lay down their lives for you.  This is true richness in life.

6.) Be a contributor.

There is an ugly thing that happens in our human nature called complacency and laziness (couch potato syndrome).  Don't let it kill the potential in you.  Don't settle for the path of least resistance.  I always enjoyed working alongside hard workers who would offer to do the "dirty work" so others wouldn't have to.   Become one of those people in your family, community, school and the workplace.  Develop a strong work ethic, take initiative, and earn the respect of others.

7.)  Mind your manners.  

Ultimately this means serving others before yourself, and being considerate.  This also means having self-control, and being able to handle conflict with respect and grace.  Seek to listen and understand.

"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions."  Proverbs 18:2

 8.) Be proactive with the Golden Rule. 

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Luke 6:31