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Posts tagged ‘relationships’

Apr 11

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53 Years

“In a time when nothing is more certain than change, the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare.  Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced.” – Robert Sexton


53 years ago today, my parents were married. They are a model of love and commitment through 12 years of night school while working full time to get a college degree, raising three (pretty awesome) kids, three (pretty awesome) grandchildren, two knee replacements, a broken hip, cancer, and daily challenges of life.

Some of the many lessons that I’ve learned from them include:

Faith will get you through everytime;
The value of hard work;
Don’t take the gifts you’ve been given for granted;
The importance of laughter;
Discipline produces results;
The satisfaction from giving your all, regardless of the results;
Ask for forgiveness and mean it;
There’s nothing better than a good polka;
Respect others and yourself;
Pay your bills on time and don’t get over your head in debt;
Life isn’t fair, so what, do what you can with what you have without complaint;
You can be both family and friends;
Give without counting;
Quiet perseverance;
Character is more important than personality;
Life is short, so appreciate each day.

They’ve taught these lessons not in words but in living them everyday.  Thanks Mom and Dad for the many gifts, blessings and lessons. Happy Anniversary.

Mar 25

5 Comments

Good enough

“All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity.” – James F. Cooper

With multiple and competing priorities of daily life, it’s easy to fall into “good enough” syndrome to just get by. We are surrounded by it – at work, our options of programs on 300 cable channels, in the service we receive at the mall. And the “good enough” crowd has a membership recruitment campaign going to get you to join. Don’t. Fight it with all of your strength. We own our feelings, beliefs and attitudes and get to choose our way.

Be the opposite of the status quo. Stop striving for “fairness” or trying to figure out why people accept less than their potential. You don’t own that – they do. Ignite your best, do it with fury and draw the most out of every single day. Be proactive, positive and passionate about what you do, who you spend time with and how you live your life. I can get excited about that. As for the “good enough” crowd, they have plenty on their team.