Magical Moment 566, "30 Year Old Wisdom"

~~~

I hardly ever get carded anymore. There is a small laugh line near my mouth that doesn’t go away anymore when I am not smiling. I definitely can’t lose weight as easily as I used to. Traiterous strands of my mousy brown hair are turning gray already—genetics that I blame on my Mexican grandmother—so I dye my hair to a level 6 brunette. Sounds like I turned 30 recently! In my cynical moments, I consider my 20’s a total wash, but the hindsight and lessons learned just might be worth it.

1. ‘No’ is a complete sentence.

2. You don’t OWE anybody anything. Doesn’t matter who they are.

3. I finally understand what God says about being powerless over our own sin. Nuff said.

4. Truth is always, Always, ALWAYS your friend, no matter how painful it might be.

5. Forcing your own truth onto someone else can result in disaster.

6. Giving love to get love is not really love at all.

7. Criticism, judgment and general bad behavior covered in love, isn’t love either.

8. My cousin Renee’ once encouraged me, “Don’t show love. BE love.” Good stuff.

9. Everybody has their own process. Stand up for your own. Refrain from interfering in the process of others.

10. You can read all the books, follow all the rules, and say and do all the right things. Real peace and joy comes with authentic relationship, first with God, then with others.

11. Find a friend that makes you laugh, that you can be silly and ridiculous with. Once a week, maybe over a pitcher of margaritas, laugh until your abs hurt.

12. Find a sport or exercise routine that you enjoy and stick with it. You will look better, feel better, your self-confidence will increase, and you can afford the calories in your strawberry margarita while you laugh with friends. I heart spin!

13. If you suck at Biology, swallow your pride and get a tutor. Next semester, when you tackle Microbiology, it will be a snap!

14. Go back to school, jump out of a plane, cancel your cable and read instead. . .pick something. You CAN do it!

15. No matter how much you beg, bribe, cajole or threaten, you cannot force a two year old to eat when they don’t want to. Battles must be chosen wisely, or the two year old will choose you.

16. Same goes for the two year old pooping in the potty. Sigh.

17. Buy a pair of jeans that make you look and feel amazing. You can dress them up or down, and always feel confident. Mine are Buckle Madison Stretch Boot.

18. Know who you are. Know your worth. Don’t settle.

19. Keep in mind the bigger picture. Take one day at a time. That is not an oxymoron.

20. Just because you have a list of 19 doesn’t mean you HAVE to have a #20. Don’t worry what other people might think if you only have 19 ;)

Here’s to my 30’s. Cheers!

~~~

More of Regina's posts on my blog:

Legos

Be Your Own Hero

This is a song I wrote based on her words:

Where We Walked Together

She also writes her own blog, She Lives in the Light.

This is a guest post by my older sister, Regina. She's posted several times on my blog before, discovering that writing can be healing and a great outlet. This post is entitled, "30 Year Old Wisdom," - just remember, she's a year and 11 months older than I am! :)

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le...

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-...

Search This Blog