28 lessons for 28 years of life: I pray I’m just getting started

I usually do a sappy post about my time on planet earth. I could talk about the joys of being a mom and wife. I could talk about loving people around me who lift me up when I need it most. But what about lessons learned? In 28 years, a lesson for every year? Let’s do that.

1. Listen before responding.

2. Be a friend you wish you had: to yourself and others.

3. Forgive yourself after the apology and give yourself permission to move on.

4. Spend your time wisely.

5. Love without counting the cost or considering someone’s worthiness of that love.

6. Someone’s actions don’t always determine their intentions (good or bad).

7. Others are not like you, they don’t think, give or love like you. Be you anyway.

8. You are worthy of love: God thinks so. Case closed.

9. Don’t be afraid to mess up.

10. You will mess up.

11. You can take action to rectify your mistakes.

12. You are more than your mistakes.

13. The reason behind what you do is more important than what you do.

14. Live passionately, serve passionately, love passionately.

15. Give without expectation.

16. Time is short. Say it.

17. Don’t be too proud or humble to ask for help.

18. Stay humble, don’t pray to be humble.

19. You’ve got to eat the crow when you’re wrong.

20. Your words and facial expressions impact others (intended or not).

21. No family is perfect.

22. No person is perfect.

23. You will never look into the eyes of someone God doesn’t love.

24. Love yourself too.

25. Money can’t buy peace.

26. Compliment more than you criticize (I am still learning this in some areas).

27. Never give up on people. Just give them over to God to do what only He can.

28. Boundaries are healthy.

Here’s to the lessons learned, the mistakes made and a future of lessons, mistakes and makeups ahead!

Year 29 is just around the corner and I pray I am just getting started on this beautiful, wild ride of life.