"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." ~e.e. Cummings

My Dad always had one thing to say to me..."just be yourself." There were years when that was tough because who I was acting like and who I wanted to be were two different people. So I had to work through the kinks.


My Mom always had one thing to say to me, too..."God go with you."
Between the two I finally figured out that I was made to be someone in particular. Now, I'm not saying I'm 100% happy with the quirks He's given me, but I can honestly say I am courageously growing up...to be myself as God goes with me.


Thanks, Mom & Dad ~ it's the best advice I've ever gotten.

~ Goal Setting ~

Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you? ~Fanny Brice

Monday, April 25, 2005

12,000!!!

How many babies were born to girls 15 and under in 1996? The answer is my title~ 12,000!!! I chose a low number ~ 1,000 ~ thinking maybe it should have been the next possible answer (5,000), but I was shocked when I scored my test and the actual answer is 12,000!!!!!

If you'd like to know more about what's going on with today's youth, and find out how you can help make a difference in those whose lives you touch, go to the link posted above. (click on the "12,000!!!") Scott & I have purposely removed most of the opportunities for our boys to watch TV just for the sake of watching TV. We have videos they watch (Veggie Tales, McGee & Me, Adventures in Odyssey) whenever they want to watch a movie, as well as movies (The Incredibles, Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang, Herbie the Love Bug series, etc) when we say that's okay, too. However, we've unplugged the Dish from their playroom and the tv downstairs is usually tuned to the satellite music channel instead of a show. I began to see the need to cut out the amount of TV they (we) watched a few months ago and have been weaning our family of it ever since. I don't believe we'll ever be a TV -free family, but I can say we are much pickier about what we watch now.

So - my challenge for today.... Turn the TV off. (It IS National Turn Off the TV Week this week ~ April 25 to May 1 ~ so why not?) Grab a book and read to your kids. Grab a book and read to yourself. Read the newspaper...the funny pages instead of the obits...the life section instead of the top news section. Go for a walk and look at the tulips (I love living where tulips bloom again!) or the spring flowers. Or...shock of all shockers...talk to each other! Type in "icebreaker games" on google.com and find some questions to ask each other you normally wouldn't. We had a blast doing just that last week at AWOL. You'll enjoy re-connecting as a family or with friends and your life will be enriched instead of entrenched.

Here are some other ideas to enrich your life...
Check out an audio course teaching a foreign language (we're currently learning German in our home).

Check out your local Parks & Rec for classes and courses of all types for all ages.

Go to an antique store as a family...look for one "odd" thing for each family member and then go someplace where you can write a story about the person who originally owned it and how they used it...or get a video camera and make a "documentary" about it.

You get the picture.... Have fun with this life you've been given! Remember...the JOY of the Lord is where our strength comes from. No wonder why studies show that laughter is good medicine.

So...Enjoy today - you've only got 24 hours of it and then it's gone. You'll never have this day back again. Take the time tonight to write down 3 things you're thankful for...do it every night and you'll have a thousand things you're thankful for in a year!

Well, Scott's in Sunny Florida receiving an award and the boys and I are going to go for a walk in the rain...Ciao!
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