‘k…so I’ve been writing a letter to my neice for her 16th B’day… and writing… and writing…

some of it’s good stuff…stuff I’d tell my crew if given another chance or two… and, lest it take my dear niece until her 17th birthday to read it all, I figured I’d put some o’that out here for everyone.

• train yourself to make dishwashing the last step in enjoying a meal, rather than the first prerequisite to cooking one
• never stop learning – make a goal and habit of learning 3 new words, idioms, or facts every day
• bounce every new idea off the truth of scripture – when they disagree, the one you accept will tell you who you’re serving
• don’t lock in your choices on careers or men before you know who you are
• don’t take candy, drinks, rides, or e-mails from strangers – especially now that you’re out of kindergarten!!
• put gas in the car – especially when you’re certain you’ll have enough to sneak in one more quick trip to wherever (‘cause that’s when Murphy takes over & you get stranded)
• fight to finish your studies the first time around…make your return trips to college/university for the purpose of getting more information, not recovery of lost chances
• with the exception of Salvation, there are several ways of doing most things, each to varying degrees of effectiveness, and that’s ok
• don’t be so anxious for the next stage that you miss out on the wonder of where you are now
• believe it – there are many of us giving thanks for ‘unanswered prayers’ – trust God to give what’s best and withhold the rest