The universe is cheering for you!


14, 16, 18, 20



I heard a song today, “I love you to the bone” by Sammy Copley. It’s a beautiful story of a lifelong love. It’s my prayer for you that your spouse will have that song played at your funeral after you shared a 75 year- long happy marriage. It’s my prayer that your life is filled with love and laughter, and most importantly a partner who grows with you in all good things. And that you love each other to the bone.


21



Don’t let someone have to tell you twice that they don’t want you. Nothing good comes from hanging on after that.


15, 21



When they turn 18 they should have a will, a financial power of attorney and a medical PoA.


17,18



Don’t quit your job until you have another job. Suck it up and make the best out of it.


21



Sometimes grief looks a lot like anger. Are you upset about something you lost or had to let go of?


15, 21



Offer gifts to the Lord. Maybe it's your school work, or your career, or the kid you raise, or your life in general. Wrap it up and make it a present to the Lord.


9-15



Remind them they’re safe to feel whatever they’re feeling.


2, 12, 21



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



Be teachable. If you walk around thinking you know it all, your career and relationships will suffer. Consider how much you have to learn and welcome any opportunity to learn. “Teach me” instead of “I don’t know.”


16



I hope you become more of yourself with every passing year. I love you so.


21



Listen to records, a whole album at a time. 2 or 3 in a row. Bring friends, eat, drink, hangout, be goofy, dance, etc.


14-18



“Fitting in” requires that we change who we are to fit someone else’s idea. True “belonging” never asks us to change who we are, it demands that we be who we are. - Brene Brown


12, 17



Your very existence is a miracle. Countless cosmic events and generations of ancestors had to come together in precisely the right way at precisely the right time for you to be here now. It’s an honor to be who you are. Act accordingly.


13, 15, 18, 20, 21



Guard your health and fitness as if it were your most valuable possession. (It is.)


14, 17, 21



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


20



Read Moth by Amber McBride. Young adult fiction in verse about grief. Twists and turns.


15



Read poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver. (“...You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves...”)


17



If you can afford to send flowers when a baby is born or when someone dies, do so.


21



Talk about how choices become habits. Habits can become addictions. Describe how pathways are literally dug into the brain and it's very hard to change them once those paths are made.


13-16



2

Violent thunderstorms can be dangerous. Avoid driving or being out in severe weather: car accidents, downed trees, high winds, lightning, flash floods, etc. are all potentially just don’t take your safety for granted if the weather is severe, stay sheltered unless you absolutely positively have to be out and about.


12-14, 16, 21



“It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to grieve. Because you can also live your life, and love your life, and be happy too.” Excellent advice from 9/11 survivor.


12, 15, 19



NEVER sit while someone near you is working.


14-21



Make a Shutterfly book for each year and give it to them on their birthday.


5-18



Just because I forgive you, it doesn’t mean I trust you. Trust has to be earned.


15, 18, 21



“You belong in every room you enter.” - Shonda Rhymes


6-21



When disciplining remember: First acknowledge the emotion, then address the behavior.


2-4, 13, 15



Check out teen life coach Coaching with Will.


13



Today is not the day to lose your sh*t. Deep breaths, cold water, do your hair. You’re gonna be just fine.


1-21