Saturday, June 12, 2010

Good Advice Deserves Repeating


Rinda, this is what I wrote for your 16th Birthday. Good advice deserves repeating !

Monday June 9, 2008
Today is my stepdaughter's sixteenth birthday. My precious little girl is no longer so little.Today she is only two short years from becoming a legal adult. I'm writing this blog to preserve it as a somewhat permanent record of this special day. The birthday card may be forgotten, lost or thrown away, so I wanted to put it on my blog to record it for the future. I am going to include the wording on the birthday card as well as the note that I included in her card.
This is the birthday card that I chose for her 16th birthday:

HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
"Reflections For A Daughter On Her Birthday"

LOVE YOURSELF.
MAKE PEACE WITH WHO YOU ARE
AND WHERE YOU ARE
AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME.
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART.
IF YOU CAN'T HEAR WHAT IT'S SAYING
IN THIS NOISY WORLD,
MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF.
ENJOY YOUR OWN COMPANY.
LET YOUR MIND WANDER AMONG THE STARS.
TRY.
TAKE CHANCES.
MAKE MISTAKES.
LIFE CAN BE MESSY
AND CONFUSING AT TIMES,
BUT IT'S ALSO FULL OF SURPRISES.
THE NEXT ROCK IN YOUR PATH
MIGHT BE A STEPPING STONE.
BE HAPPY,
WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT,
WANT WHAT YOU HAVE.
MAKE DO.
THAT'S A WELL-KEPT SECRET OF CONTENTMENT.
THERE AREN'T ANY SHORTCUTS TO TOMORROW.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.
TO KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING
IS ONLY PART OF IT.
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN, TOO.
AND IF YOU EVER GET LOST, DON'T WORRY,
THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU WILL FIND YOU.
COUNT ON IT.
LIFE ISN'T DAYS AND YEARS.
IT'S WHAT YOU DO WITH TIME
AND WITH ALL THE GOODNESS AND GRACE
THAT'S INSIDE YOU.
MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE....
THE KIND OF LIFE YOU DESERVE !

Here is my note to her.

Monday June 9, 2008
D.
On your 16th birthday I wish you all the best that the world has to offer. You've been through some hard times and there will be more ahead but it will make you a much stronger woman in the long run. Stay true to yourself, learn from mistakes, yours as well as those of others, be independent, study yourself to find your true purpose, enjoy simple pleasures, open your heart to those who honor and respect you, forgive those who don't. Don't let anyone tell you who you are - you SHOW THEM who you are by the way that you live your life. Over the years, you will change in ways that you'll never expect and the world will change in ways that no one will ever be able to anticipate. Change is the only factor in life that is guaranteed. Don't burn your bridges to your past, for the day may come that you'll want or need to cross back over them. No matter where you go or what you do, or what you become - my love, support and understanding are yours for as long as I live - 24 / 7 / 365. Remember I carry you always in my heart. With all my love, always....

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