Rules for Life -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE 1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. 2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other. 3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have, or sleep all you want. 4. When you say, "I love you," mean it. 5. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye. 6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married. 7. Believe in love at first sight. 8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much. 9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely. 10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name-calling. 11. Don't judge people by their relatives. 12. Talk slowly but think quickly. 13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why, do you want to know?" 14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 15. Say, "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze. 16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. 17. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for your actions. 18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. 21. Spend some time alone. 22. Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values. 23. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 24. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time. 25. Trust in God but lock your car. 26. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home. 27. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past. 28. Read between the lines. 29. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. 30. Be gentle with the earth. 31. Pray. There's immeasurable power in it. 32. Never interrupt when you are being flattered. 33. Mind your own business. 34. Don't trust a man/woman who doesn't close his/her eyes when you kiss. 35. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before. 36. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction. 37. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck. 38. Learn the rules then break some. 39. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other. 40. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. 41. Remember that your character is your destiny. 42. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon. -------------------------------------------------------------- Mid-life is when the growth of the hair on our legs slows down. This gives us plenty of time to care for our newly acquired mustache. Mid-life women no longer have upper arms; we have wingspans. We are no longer women in sleeveless shirts; we are flying squirrels in drag. Mid-life has hit when you stand naked in front of the mirror and can see your rear end without turning around. Mid-life is when you bounce (a lot), but you don't bounce back. It's more like splat! Mid-life is when you want to grab every firm young lovely in a tube top and scream, "Listen, honey, even the Roman Empire fell, and those things will too! " Mid-life is when you realize that, if you were a dog, you would need a control top flea collar. Mid-life is when you go to the doctor and you realize you are now so old, you have to pay someone to look at you naked. You know you are getting old when you go for a mammogram and know it is the only time someone will ask you to appear topless in a film. Mid-life brings the wisdom that life throws you curves and that you're now sitting on your biggest ones. Mid-life can bring out your angry, bitter side. You look at your latte-swilling, beeper-wearing know-it-all teenager and think, "For this I have stretch marks? " Mid-life is when your memory really starts to go: the only thing you still retain is water. The good news about mid-life is the glass is still half-full. Of course, the bad news is that it won't be long before your teeth are floating in it. -------------------------------------------------------------- "WHEN I SAY "I AM A CHRISTIAN..." When I say...I am a Christian, I'm not shouting "I am saved." I'm whispering "I get lost." That is why I chose this way. When I say... "I am a Christian, I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need someone to be my guide. When I say...I am a Christian, I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I am weak and pray for strength to carry on. When I say...I am a Christian, I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and cannot ever pay the debt. When I say...I am a Christian, I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are too visible but God believes I'm worth it. When I say...I am a Christian, I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches which is why I seek HIS name. When I say... I am a Christian, I do not wish to judge. I have no authority. I only know that I'm loved. -Author Unknown -------------------------------------------------------------- : A few months ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another mother I knew well rushed up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation. "Do you know what you and I are?" she demanded. Before I could answer, and I didn't really have one handy, he blurted out the reason for her question. It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. What I mean is," explained the recorder, "Do you have a job, or are you just a .....?" "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother." "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation...'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically. I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title like Official Interrogator or Town Registrar. "And what is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations." The clerk paused, ball point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. "Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money." There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (6 months) in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt triumphant! I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mother." Motherhood...what a glorious career. Especially when there's a title on the door. Send this to another Mother you know. Whether a stay at home Mom or a career Mom, we should all carry this title. The Images of Mother: 4 YEARS OF AGE ~ My Mommy can do anything! 8 YEARS OF AGE ~ My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot! 12 YEARS OF AGE ~ My Mother doesn't really know quite everything. 14 YEARS OF AGE ~ Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either 16 YEARS OF AGE ~ Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned. 18 YEARS OF AGE ~ That old woman? She's way out of date! 25 YEARS OF AGE ~ Well, she might know a little bit about it 35 YEARS OF AGE ~ Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion. 45 YEARS OF AGE ~ Wonder what Mom would have thought about it? 65 YEARS OF AGE ~ Wish I could talk it over with Mom. -------------------------------------------------------------- Run through the rain She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it had no time to flow down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to capacity and some were blocked so that huge puddles laced around parked cars. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated ... because nature messed up their hurried day. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked. "Let's run through the rain!" she repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit." Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated "Mom, Let's run through the rain." "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom" "That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?" "Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything!" The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Her Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case..... They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. I want to believe that some where down the road in life, her Mom will find herself reflecting back on moments they spent together, captured like pictures in the scrapbook of her cherished memories. Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the world they love each other. But only they ... will share that precious moment, when they ran through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities...to make memories every day! I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN Have a Great day "I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.*