This is so Totally Cheesy!

Ok, so I was having this bad night quite awhile ago and was thinking a lot about my kids and how I didn't want them to go through some of the same emotions I have. By my kids I mean my nieces and my nephews. They are the most important people/things in my life and I think about them a lot. I wrote them this little note with no intention of ever showing them, but for some reason I want to share it with everyone else? Don't ask because I have no reason why.

To my Kids: Don’t Wait for the Rain

To all who read this: don’t ever take anything for granted! I cannot stress to you how important this is. If I could take each one of you aside and teach you one lesson it would be what I have stated. I want you to understand that everything can be taken from you in a heartbeat. I want you to love God with all your heart and I want you to find your strength.

As I write this I am sitting in a room by myself with tears streaming down my face. I have taken so much for granted and I wish that I had learned this lesson much earlier in life. There is so much power in life, in our physical makeup and in our souls. There is so much majesty in God’s creations. There is no feeling equal to standing at the top of a mountain looking down upon a white paradise and seeing the hand of God in the beauty of every tree and slope and white flake. I love waking up in the morning and knowing that I am going to have the energy and strength and health to make it through the day.

If I could do all my days over again I would spend less time worrying about myself and more time enjoying life. Pain and heartbreak come, but I say bring them on. Feeling means knowing that you are alive! Instead of regretting the choices I made that led to my heartbreak I would be grateful that I was able to feel that. Pain teaches us lessons. It defines the corners of our rough, dull souls and smoothes and polishes them into a precious stone. Pain makes us who we are and we have the choice to become bitter and close ourselves off to the world or to grow and strengthen our character. If we choose the latter then we will still feel pain, but we also open ourselves up to everlasting joy.

Enjoy the sounds and the smells that surround you. One day these simple things may be taken away from you and you never know how much you will miss them. Every day we go through life oblivious to the small and tender mercies given by God. I think that is why I love the smell of rain. I feel like God is washing the earth and the scent that accompanies a fresh rain is the smell of that cleansing. By doing this God is letting us know that he is here. If I could do it over again I would take the time to enjoy the splendor of all nature instead of just waiting for the rain.

Enjoy being tired. I don’t sleep; mostly because I spend my nights thinking about things that I cannot change. I think about you. I think about how much I love you. You are my entire world. I think about my mistakes and my accomplishments. I used to get so angry because I would wake up so tired and worn out. I am coming to realize that now is the time to enjoy every moment that I have. There will be plenty of time to sleep. Life is so short and there is so much to accomplish.

I cannot look back and say that my life to this point has been a great success, but I can look back and say that I have loved the best I could. Kids, do not judge because if you do then you are going to miss out on some great friends. I know! I almost missed out on the best friend I ever had. Be open and tolerant to everyone. I have found that the key to this is to love God. We all have a gift that we were given when we left the presence of our Heavenly Father. He blessed us with the ability to be like Him. If we truly understand this then we know that we can love like God. His love is eternal, all encompassing, freely available, unconditional, and deep. God does not recognize race or gender; all He sees is the soul that He created. Oh my kids, if you love God you will strengthen your relationship with Him. In so doing you will become closer to Him and can become more like Him. Then you can love like Him. I need to tell you that you cannot measure the greatness of your life by how well you were loved but by how well you loved others (I read that somewhere and really liked it). Give all you have to those you love and to those who need your love. Lose yourselves. Lose yourselves in love and service to others.

It takes strength to cast aside our own fears in order to help others. It needs to be done though. Life is hard and it’s so easy to get caught up in it. It’s easy to look at ourselves and say it’s not fair, but things can always be worse. Turn to those who need you and you will see what I mean. You will have struggles, but embrace them. Take everything that life hands you, smile and laugh, and throw it right back.

There are always going to be forces working against you. Learn now and learn young how to overcome them. They are never going to stop, so get a head start. You will learn about people in life who changed the world. Become like them and be strong. Love yourselves and realize the great gift that lies within your soul; a fighting spirit. You are all worth all the love in the world. Embrace the greatness that was given to you.

Don’t be like me! I realized too late the worth that was given to me. I have spent too much time doubting myself. I can no longer understand why I did that. I have a soul that fights. I am full of love and strength; even if I am the only one who knows it. However, you never know the impact that you have on those around you. So, in the face of difficulty be who you were made to be. Keep moving and don’t ever find yourselves waiting for the rain.

Love love