{"id":890,"date":"2013-05-21T00:27:13","date_gmt":"2013-05-21T00:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kandynolesstevens.com\/?p=890"},"modified":"2013-05-21T00:27:13","modified_gmt":"2013-05-21T00:27:13","slug":"things-i-have-never-regretted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/?p=890","title":{"rendered":"Things I have never regretted"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"beach\"<\/a>Certain events in life, milestones if you will, really cause me to pause and reflect on my life.\u00a0 The obvious life pondering moments are births, deaths, marriages, and graduations. I endured the most painful of the latter on Friday, but I did survive!\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t go so far as to say thrived, but I made it through with the love and prayers of many.<\/p>\n

I started thinking in terms of a commencement note to my son (who I can only imagine had the most amazing ceremony in heaven).\u00a0 The type of advice that one lover of learning would pass on to another.\u00a0 Rather than a long-winded speech, it came out more like bullet points which I condensed into a list.<\/p>\n

To my children \u2013 You are about to embark on the next step on your journey through life.\u00a0 God has given you gifts and talents.\u00a0 As your mom I have seen you grow and mature, while navigating difficult waters.\u00a0 As an educator, I have seen you amaze me with the ways you tackle problems and the new and innovative ways you look at world.\u00a0 I wanted to share with you that educating a person and educating a soul are two extremely different things at times and are symbiotic at others.\u00a0 I have comprised a list of things that looking back now (hindsight is always ocularly clear) really did matter, and I am glad that I did them.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five things, however small some may be, that I have never regretted.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Following\u00a0Jesus is simply the best decision I could make<\/strong>.\u00a0 We as humans make this a lot more complicated than needs be.\u00a0 Get to know him on your terms and follow his example, you will never go wrong.<\/li>\n
  2. Sticking with a marriage isn\u2019t easy<\/strong>.\u00a0 Often it is thankless work, but it IS work that is worthwhile.<\/li>\n
  3. Having each of you.<\/strong> Even if I knew then what I know now about your story, I wouldn\u2019t have changed a thing.<\/li>\n
  4. Finding a career that you love<\/strong>.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care what anyone says making a difference is better than making money.<\/li>\n
  5. Giving all my effort to my education.<\/strong>\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like every class or teacher, but taking required classes made me a better person by pushing me to see there was more to the world than what I had thought before. \u00a0Along with this, ignore people who tell you don\u2019t take that professor because he or she is difficult.\u00a0 Pick those people every time.\u00a0 Trust me, it will change your life.<\/li>\n
  6. Thanking those teachers who made a difference in my life<\/strong>.\u00a0 Most of my teachers and professors have passed away, but I will never forget their faces when I went back to personally thank them.\u00a0 When someone changes your life for the good, take the time to thank them.<\/li>\n
  7. Taking care of me<\/strong>.\u00a0 It took me a lot of years to recognize that I needed to do some things that made me happy to be a better mom to you.<\/li>\n
  8. Investing in the people I love<\/strong>.\u00a0 I disagree with the notion that three words can be overused. The world needs a whole lot more \u201cI love you\u2019s.\u201d<\/li>\n
  9. Reading the Bible cover to cover<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are a lot of approaches to doing this.\u00a0 Beginning to end worked for me, but whatever method you choose, just do it.\u00a0 The words on those pages are the closest I have ever found to an instructional booklet for life.<\/li>\n
  10. \u00a0Serving others<\/strong>.\u00a0 I like being a worker bee.\u00a0 Of course, one of you called me a queen bee on occasion, but the truth is serving others has been the key to helping me heal from more than one of life\u2019s hurts.<\/li>\n
  11. Learning to live without fear<\/strong>.\u00a0 Most of my first thirty-five years were spent pleasing others in some form or fashion because I was afraid of letting someone somewhere down.\u00a0 Once I let that go, I became a much better person.<\/li>\n
  12. Loving to learn.<\/strong>\u00a0 When I turned thirty-six, I decided to tackle a new skill each year.\u00a0 As you well know most of those new skills resulted in gifts for others, but I have loved seeing the work of my hands bring smiles to many.<\/li>\n
  13. Honoring traditions<\/strong>.\u00a0 Sometimes that may be something small like chocolate chip cookies and homemade cocoa on the first day of snow, but those traditions became the fabric of our family\u2019s story.<\/li>\n
  14. Acknowledging the sacrifices made by others<\/strong>. Even despite our worst moments, we have never gone hungry, cold, or homeless.\u00a0 Many of the freedoms we have are because someone else\u2019s loved one paid the ultimate price.\u00a0 Never forget freedom isn\u2019t free.<\/li>\n
  15. Giving back<\/strong>.\u00a0 Serving others is closely related to this, but remember<\/b> all the gifts God has bestowed on us.\u00a0 Give of your resources (not just your time and energy) to help others.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let money become an idol, and make purposeful decisions regarding your income, for now and in the future.<\/li>\n
  16. Planting a garden.<\/strong>\u00a0 There is a lot of wisdom in our favorite campfire song.\u00a0 Tending to the earth (especially on your hands and knees) is a great way to learn about faith, hard work, and God\u2019s creation. \u00a0Plus, being able to honestly say that your hard work fed your family is rewarding.<\/li>\n
  17. Having a childlike faith<\/strong>.\u00a0Few things in life will ever compare to sleeping in a tent in the backyard, running through the sprinkler, drinking from the garden hose, dancing in the rain, or making a snow angel.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care how old you get:\u00a0 do something that you loved as a kid.\u00a0 You will be better for it. Also, don\u2019t be afraid to dance with the mop, serenade the fruit (Oh My Darlin\u2019 Clementine), or just let your silly out.\u00a0 The world is a better place because I do it.<\/li>\n
  18. Singing out loud<\/strong>.\u00a0 Even if you feel you aren\u2019t a good singer, make a joyful noise.\u00a0 Music will restore your soul when you lose your way.\u00a0 God can always be found in the music of life.<\/li>\n
  19. Fighting to keep your childhood sacred<\/strong>.\u00a0 We made decisions you didn\u2019t like, simply because we believe childhood is becoming extinct in this country.\u00a0 For example, you didn’t shrivel up and wither\u00a0because we went most of your childhood without cable. Someday when you have children, you will hopefully understand our choices.<\/li>\n
  20. Laughing at myself.<\/strong>\u00a0 I will never run out of material as daily, I make mistakes, and the ability to\u00a0 laugh at yourself is therapeutic.<\/li>\n
  21. Forgiving<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is something that is a lifelong lesson.\u00a0 Once you begin, it quite literally becomes a habit.\u00a0 God calls us to do it, but that doesn\u2019t make it easier.\u00a0 It does however often make you a better you.<\/li>\n
  22. Getting rid of stuff.<\/strong>\u00a0 I cannot think of one piece of clutter in my life that I have regretted giving away.\u00a0 Don\u2019t fall into the trap of letting your stuff run your life.<\/li>\n
  23. Devouring a\u00a0great book.<\/strong>\u00a0 As much as I love a good movie, I have never found a movie better than a book – EVER.\u00a0 Next to knowing Jesus, the second best gift we ever gave you was the love of reading.<\/li>\n
  24. Being comfortable in my own skin.<\/strong>\u00a0 It took a lot of years for me to find my own style (literally and figuratively).\u00a0 At some point I stopped caring what others thought was beautiful , and I realized the woman looking back in the mirror was it. \u00a0I stopped looking at myself through the lens of others expectations, and I realized that God sees all his children as beautiful. Along with this, I have never owned a scale. A number doesn\u2019t define who am I – period.<\/li>\n
  25. Enjoying the moment<\/strong>.\u00a0 Sometimes, the gentle breeze of the wind, the song of the bird, the laughter of a child, the nudge from a dog’s nose, or the tickle of the ocean wave is God\u2019s invitation to slow down.\u00a0 Take that advice because the cleaning and the to-do list will always be there after the moment passes, but the moment may never come back.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If I thought about it for longer, I am certain there are many more things that could and should be added to the list.\u00a0 However, knowing when to stop is also something that requires some finesse.\u00a0 Know I am proud of you all, and I hope that you, too, can add to the legacy of living without regret.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Certain events in life, milestones if you will, really cause me to pause and reflect on my life.\u00a0 The obvious life pondering moments are births, deaths, marriages, and graduations. I endured the most painful of the latter on Friday, but I did survive!\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t go so far as to say thrived, but I made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[116,254,267,462,514,529],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}