#18 Pray

I know there are people who disagree, but I believe prayer is powerful. Prayer can come in many forms, silent, out loud, thankful, advice-seeking, individual, group, and much more. I tend to be what I would call a "conversational pray-er". I pray throughout my day as things happen, as I struggle and rejoice, seek guidance or have need. Prayer is something that centers me, relaxes me, keeps me focused and rejuvenated. Every night when I put you to bed I pray for your health and happiness--so don't ever think someone isn't!

How you choose to pray may be different than me, and that is ok. It is something that will develop as you explore religion and faith and grow to be the person you will become. For now, I simply pray that as you grow you will too.

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#17 Stand for Something

Stand up for something. Believe in yourself.

They say if you don't stand for something then you will fall for anything. I have to agree. While your father and I have our beliefs in various things (religious and not), I want you to have yours. If they are the same as ours then great, if they aren't then we will still love you. All I ask is that you use your brain to decide what things in life you believe in and live for and then stand up for them. Don't let other people decide these things for you. Don't be a blind follower.

If you make a bad choice or mistake I would much rather you do it knowing it was your own choice than do it because you let someone get the better of you. Take charge of your life and your actions. Work always to know yourself, where you come from, and what it is you live and stand for--despite what anyone else may say.

 

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#16 Do What You Think You Can't

In your life you will have very many opportunities to learn, explore, do, and grow and I never want you to be afraid to try something new, to accept a challenge, and be willing to work hard to reach new heights. 

Look at that last statement--it says that you will have to WORK HARD to reach new heights. That is right, life and love and everything in between often requires hard work, write - it - down. It seems that very early on in life children learn to say that they can't do things, either because they don't want to, don't know how, or just have never tried to do something. I want you to realize that the only true barriers you face to the things you want to do are the ones you put in front of yourself. 

As you grow I want you to have areas of life that you are comfortable in and can enjoy. Even more so I want you to push your limits from time to time. I want you to have struggles and know that even when things are hard, if you put your heart in to things you are passionate about, if you are willing to take a risk and stick your neck out sometimes, the rewards can be amazing.

At least once a year I want you to do something you thought you couldn't. I want you to push that limit and realize all the things you really CAN do.

This year you are doing lots of limit pushing--you are learning to hold up your head, roll over, crawl, sit up, make noises, and a million other things. If you keep following this lead you will blow this piece of advice out of the water! Here you are learning that you have feet and that you CAN grab them!