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| Message to Megan |
| 10.07.04 (2:15 pm) [edit] |
|
This was my advice to Megan on the occasion of her High School Graduation. Maybe we all need the gift of looking at life from a fresh perspective now and then. Here is mine. How beautiful she looks reading at the podium. My rebel, my independent spirit, my little girl. She was my experiment in parenting and was the recipient of all of my neurosis; the unfortunate curse of the firstborn. Despite this, she is smart, sassy, beautiful… and graduating from High School. Thirteen years of school plays, soccer games, report cards, sleepovers, and homework are over and I am setting her free. Her decisions from now on are her own. She must take her own risks, calculate the cost of her choices, and live with the consequences. How jealous I am. It is yours little girl… this clean slate…this empty plate. Fill it up with color and flavor and texture. Pile it full and never waste it. I have little to offer you in the way of monetary congratulations. I cannot give you a new car or a trip abroad. I will find something to mark the occasion but it will be only a small token of my dreams for you. In the meantime, I will offer you this—my experience… the lessons that I have learned. Much of this is common sense but some lessons came with a very high price. I cannot protect you from hurt or disappointment or pain; but maybe something I say will help you navigate a little better along the way. Be well, little girl. On your mark… get set…. Go! - Whenever you can, take a new route to an old place. - Jump on the bed, play in the rain, make angels in the snow. - Never be a cheap imitation of yourself. - Commit yourself to finding the world’s best slice of pizza. - Dictate your own style. - Always be prepared to be spontaneous. - Lay on top of your car and look up at the stars. Take a friend if you like but only one who will understand the significance of the moment. - When seeking God, never lean on your own understanding. Neither should you lean solely on the understanding of others. Humans limit God. They box Him in and make Him what they want Him to be. Seek Him in everything. Never stop digging for truth. - Build a snowman at midnight. - Read a book by someone who has been dead for at least 50 years. - Go to an antique store and buy something that sparks a memory. - It is not any better to give your body away without restraint then it is to sell your soul. To do one is to do the other; because they are forever intertwined. - Never miss the opportunity to forgive someone. - Pay a compliment to a stranger. - When you feel like saying something mean bite your tongue until you bleed. - If you love someone never leave without telling them so. - If the thought of something scares you then look it directly in the eye. - Oscar Wilde said, a man who sees both sides of an issue sees nothing at all. Pick a side, get off the fence, know what you believe and why you believe it. - A gas grill is never a good substitute for a charcoal burning one. - Interview your grandparents. Ask them about their first kiss. - Fly the American Flag and always take the time to vote. - Don’t believe everything you learn in Church. Labeling something as "Christian" doesn’t make it any more right than the "secular" label makes it wrong. All things are God’s. - Collect things that you find beautiful or interesting - Rebel against something. Fight for something. Let go of something. - Never miss the opportunity to be silly. - If you chase after something have a plan for when you catch it. - When you pull up to a Drive-thru window talk with a silly foreign accent... I’m serious… it will crack you up. - Trust people until they abuse it. - Don’t just love with passion… LIVE with passion. - Be an enigma. - Catch Lightening bugs in a jelly jar. - It is impossible to ever find satisfaction in cheating. - Don’t be a hypocrite. - Don’t throw away pennies. - If you aren’t going to give something your best effort then sit on the porch and pick the lint out of your toes… your time will be better spent. - If you run with scissors make sure you have good insurance. - Never rely on anyone else to make you happy. - Be strong but be kind. It’s an alluring combination. - Money doesn’t make you a better person it just gets you nicer vacations. - Don’t let anyone rush you. - Let old baggage lie. You can always find another suitcase. - To yell and react in anger does not convey strength; it conveys the fact that you are too stupid or lazy to form a rational argument. - A simple plan is almost always better. - Never stop learning. Whether it’s reading Shakespeare or a manual on how to replace the engine on your car… don’t let your mind grow roots. - Go fishing. - Hang around with people who challenge you. - Be reliable but not predictable. - Don’t be bitchy. Don’t be whiny. Don’t be a victim. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. - It’s perfectly acceptable to flirt in order to get out of a traffic ticket. - Rent a cheap apartment in which to store your furniture and then leave it often. Get out of your backyard and seek the unusual, the foreign, the exotic. The world is a very big place so you’d better get started. - It’s alright to say no; but if you say yes then honor that commitment and give it your all. - Live frugally, save for a rainy day, know the difference between needs and wants, chop up your credit cards, and never try to keep up with the Jones’. Simple living doesn’t mean giving up luxuries—just establishing priorities. - Don’t mistake pretentiousness for class. - Change the oil in your car every 3,000 miles. - If you feel like you need a good cry… then you probably do. - Be patient in love. - Don’t have higher expectations for those around you than you do for yourself. - When you think of giving up… think again… and again… and again. - Don’t blurt out everything that pops into your mind. Don’t hold in things that need to be said. - In life and in love don’t settle for what is "safe"… seek out what ignites your heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. Once you have found it… never, never stop kindling the flame. - Make the best use of your time. Sometimes that means taking a nap. - Let your words matter. - Learn from your mistakes. - Aim high. - Travel light. - Follow your own path. - Last but not least… call your mother! Congratulations. The world is yours… go grab hold of it. Love, Mom |
posted by: Neonmerlin17 (reply)
post date: 10.07.04 (12:17 pm)
If everyone lived by some of the idea that you wrote,the world would be a better place.Thankx.
posted by: Dariana (reply)
post date: 10.07.04 (3:11 pm)
Just popped in to see the new post and see what is happening in your corner of the world.
posted by: LoriSchuster (reply)
post date: 10.08.04 (12:05 pm)
Reply to: RJ
thanks RJ and neonmerlin... you made my week :)
posted by: cjvl (reply)
post date: 10.09.04 (10:43 am)
You continue to exhibit depth and wisdom. Keep it up.
posted by: billlyryan (reply)
post date: 12.29.04 (3:48 pm)
Wow...I hope she prints this out and carries it around for a reference!
Grace, beauty, humor, strength.
Alison Haley Cloud
Nov. 16, 1987-March 1, 2005
