Wow, I have been asked to write a letter to my nephew. He has his church confirmation retreat this weekend and will read the letter there. This is my hubby's, sister's oldest child. I've known him, well, since the day he was born. Now, he's 15, in high school and about to be confirmed.
At first, I had no clue what to say. I mean, I am proud of him - he's a great kid, stays out of trouble, makes good grades and is very athletic. Quite a role model for his little brother. Finally, I decided. First, I told him how proud I am of him and how fortunate I feel to be a part of his life. Next, I told him that life can be tough, but by setting goals and working hard, he can accomplish anything. Finally, I told him to be sure to live life to its fullest. That made me think....hmmm...I'm giving this advice, but am I living by it?
Sometimes we get all tangled up in life. Rushing here and there, never stopping to enjoy the little things. We wake up in time to get ourselves and the kids ready for the day and rush to work. There, we work hard all day then rush home to be with the kids, only to find ourselves getting consumed with stupid but necessary tasks like making dinner, cleaning house, doing laundry, etc. We hurry through helping kids with homework, getting them ready for bed with just enough time to workout or get ready for the next day. The next thing we know, our alarm clocks are going off and, ready or not, we have to do it all again. And again. And again. I'm not really trying to complain...well, not too much anyway. I guess I'm just realizing that I have a tendency to get all stressed out about the minor things. Writing this letter made me realize that I have to REMIND myself of exactly what I was telling my nephew! I wish I were the type who could live life with reckless abandon...even just a little. I try to pretend that I do, but in all honesty, I don't. So, that is my goal for this new year...live life and enjoy it. Don't sweat the small stuff and all that crap. :O) I need to practice what I preach.
Then, I remembered this. You might remember it in the form of a song a few years back. Words to live by!
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