45 lessons

Written by a guy named Brett who writes columns for The Plain Dealer, a newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 70 in August, so here goes:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, . Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness, except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of whom God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative--dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

October

October was fast & furious – instead of a typical summary I wrote down some of my favorite moments. Enjoy!

Hyrum is growing like a weed. If he could describe himself it would be “Feed me and don't wake me up when I am sleeping. If you catch me in a good mood, and if you make a complete idiot of yourself then you might get a smile.” He is a good baby as long as he is fed, he likes to spit up and usually saves some for about an hour to catch you when you are not suspecting it. Jaydee can get him to laugh but no one else can yet.

Halloween Morning:
Jaydee wake up! (4th time)
I don’t want to wake up!
There is a monster in your room.
I don’t want a monster in my room.
Mommy is a monster.
I don’t want mommy to be a monster.
Just get up!

Jaydee Quotes:

· “I am a child of God Flake.” (Maybe we should work on humility? My granddad always told stories of Adam & Eve Holyoak so maybe it is in her blood?)

· Deedra yells "Kaydee Lee DeWitt" from the other room, Jaydee hollers back "I'm not a witch!" (Mmm, hearing problem? Deedra is my sister who watches Jaydee & Hyrum for me while I work)

· “Mom, Deedra called me Jaydee Fern Flake, I’m not Jaydee Fern, I’m Jaydee Flake!” (Guess we need to work on her whole name)

· Sam was reading the Friend with Jaydee and talked about the story and that we need to be nice. She said “I can’t be nice I’m a monster.” (Well at least she hasn’t tried to eat her baby brother yet?)

· Who I am?

Well if I think that Jaydee has the most important part of who she is “I’m a child of God”. One of her favorite questions lately is Who I am? or who are you? I usually tease her with "Ooga booga" or some other silly name. We try to write down her quotes because she says the funniest things.

Halloween was fun, we did a complete theme. Jaydee was Cat in the Hat, with Kaydee/Kenyon (Deedra’s twins) as Thing 1 & Thing 2. Hyrum was in an orange Halloween pjs as the fish. We got lots of compliments. See my blog for pictures, I have been to busy to post on myfamily. Sam was a “Frosted Flake” for school, he put flour all over his shirt, hair & face. He got a lot of great reactions. I was a spider, cavewoman & witch (with purple hair) I had to be something different everytime I dressed up. I love Halloween. Jaydee does too but was very upset because Sunday I would not paint kitty whiskers on her face for Stake Conference. Another funny part of the whole story was Jaydee did not know who the “Kitty in the Hat” was, even when I showed her a picture so down to the library we went and got a whole collection of Dr. Suess books. These are now Jaydee’s favorite books.

We had stake conference, last night our leaders spoke about temples, trials, and doing better. My favorite paraphrased quote was from President Peterson. "We live in troubled times, trying times, but we can't just survive them. It is our DUTY to thrive, even grow during these times." That really hit me that we have to do more and be
better people. Then today we were told it wasn't enough just to be active in the church, we needed to be fully converted to the gospel.

Halloween