A Top Ten List That Will Make You Smile

So, the last few weeks have been a blur. So much going on and preparations were being made for our first child to graduate High School and celebrate the following weekend with family and friends. That was quickly followed up by orientation at BGSU. Abby has decided that she will major in “secondary education, specializing in integrated language arts”, whatever the hell that means. In layman’s terms, she wants to be a Jr. High/HS language arts teacher. (Having flashbacks of being in Janice Bubb’s HS class) Her class schedule is set and she’ll move into her dorm on August 19th. This is an exciting time for her and yet scary too. We’re confident that she’s ready and we’ve done the best we could do. Now with Mariah headed into Jr. High and DJ going into Middle School, it’s going to be an interesting school year this fall.
July has come and with it a few celebrations and even some memories that stir the heart. July 1st would be my brother Mike’s birthday. Not a day goes by that something someone says, a sound or even the smell of someone smoking a Marlboro triggers a favorite memory or even just a glimpse of him smiling in my mind. He’s missed by many of us way more than even he would believe. The July 4th holiday always brings about a celebration with good friends and we always look forward to that. Also in July is our annual fishing trip to Northern Ontario. I love vacationing with family and friends, but this is the trip I look forward to the most every year. I’m sure many of you are tired of hearing me rave about it, so you might want to skip on down to the next paragraph. ;-) It’s such an incredible place that displays the master handicraft by an amazing God. The wilderness is so pristine on this lake, you could pull the boat ashore and walk into the woods 25 yards and you might be the very first person to set foot on that very spot. Seeing the wildlife in their natural habitat is also very pleasing. The fishing and accommodations are both off the charts and the icing on the cake it having the opportunity to share this with some of my best friends! Like I always say, you really have to experience it before you would completely understand. Yeah, it’s going to be another awesome trip up with 2 new guys going this year. I can’t wait!
I thought maybe I would do something a little different in this blog post and give you a Top Ten of “Things You Might Do To Celebrate Life”. These are things that I have done the last couple of months or plan to do in the next couple of months. I would challenge you to jump in and have fun doing these or something similar. They are in no particular order so please enjoy the list!

10. Get up early in the morning {before the sun} and take one of your kids {doesn’t matter how old they are} out for breakfast. Ask a few questions but let them do most of the talking. You won’t be disappointed!

9. Read a book that you wouldn’t normally read and tell someone about it.

8. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a long, long time and if possible, get together. It’s never too late to rekindle old friendships!

7. Gather together with all your neighbors and have a block party. Get to know them better, even if they are a little creepy.

6. Tell someone of the same sex, that makes a huge difference in your life, how much you love and appreciate them. {In a non-gay way, of course, not that there’s anything wrong with that.}

5. Stop by the local quick mart or convenient store and get a blue slushy just to see your tongue that crazy color like you did when you were a kid. {PS..Don’t forget it leaves your body that color too!}

4. Walk up to someone you know and you think they just might need a big ole hug and give them one. It might just make their day. Do this even if you’re not a hugger. Get out of your comfort zone.

3. Call your Mom or Dad or other family member just to tell them you love them. They will be so happy you did and you’ll feel better about that than they do.

2. Write a letter to a friend, on lined paper with an ink pen. They will be surprised that you did and it will bring back memories from when everything was just simpler.
1. Take a few moments to talk to a stranger and/or help someone out. It might be giving them directions or just smiling and saying hello and asking how they are doing. Sometimes that’s all someone needs to make their day a little brighter.

I know nothing earth-shattering here, but the idea is to take the focus off of you. It’s so easy to get caught in the “Me, Me, Me” trap these days, that we forget that the very reason each of us is here is for each other. I’m particularly thankful for my family and the many friends that we have in our life, old and new. But I’m as guilty as anyone for not telling them so as often as I should. I hope to change that. It’s my aspiration that each of you has these same hopes in your life and that you’ll in turn share them with others. Have a safe and happy 4th of July and rest of summer. Be watching for a blog post sometime after the 30th to hear about our fishing trip. As always, that’s the view from my stand!