Three years ago she asked me what my advice to my 14 year old self would be.
Here's what I wrote to her in October 2012.
Advice for my 14 year old self:
·
Trust yourself. Listen for God’s still small voice. Follow the things that bring you peace – deep peace in your soul.
·
Enjoy what you have – even, and especially in terms of what you
have physically. You only get one body, face, mind, spirit,
personality. Take care of them. Love them. Use them well but
do not abuse them. And expect that they will change through time. You will only realize what you should have been thankful for in some cases after it is gone. So when you are tempted to wish your nose were
different, instead be thankful you don’t have wrinkles on your forehead
yet. When you wonder if your face is pretty, be thankful that your joints
work perfectly and do not ache. If you think your thighs are fat now,
sister…. it could be worse. And likely sooner than you
think. So appreciate the gifts of the present and be a good steward of
everything God has given you.
·
Work is God’s gift to man. Choose your work wisely. Choose something that employs your greatest gifts and brings you the most
joy. Once you have found your calling, keep it in its place. Work
can be a joy, but it is not all there is to life. Ever.
·
The most important decisions happen in life when you have the
least experience with life. Choose these with the greatest care, listening only to
the truest intuition of your heart: your spiritual compass, your life’s
work, your life’s partner. If you know a choice is the right one, have
courage and follow through with it. If you pay the price to choose
well when you are young, you will enjoy no regrets when you are old.
·
Life is a journey, a process. Do not neglect savoring the
every day passage of time. One day it will be gone, fragile as a mist, a
vapor. So make it beautiful and create something good. Show love and
kindness to others. Love is what it’s all about.
