Little Life Lesson #2: Speak Up

fun in the new princess tent from grammy and papa! claire insisted she put on her princess dress for the inauguration as well.

dearest claire and mya,
i am not great at keeping up with my "little life lessons" as i'd hoped. i had the best of intentions, but right now i can barely keep up with documenting all the great things in our lives. forgive me. i know you'll look back and read these entries time and time again, captivated by all the wonderful experiences we shared and all the amazing things you accomplished along the way.

my little life lesson number 2 relates back to the very different ways your daddy and i were raised. i am sure you'll hear of this as you get older, over and over again, that our backgrounds are vastly different, yet we are unified in the lessons we want you to learn.

many adults go through their lives not seeing their strengths, not speaking up when their voice is needed. they take the 'easy road,' then drown in self-pity when things fall apart, wait for others rescue them, focus their blame on others vs. searching for the answers and making the change within. along the way insecurities develop. we begin to let our deficiencies take hold and restrain the potential we were given. truly a gift from by God. He has plans of greatness for each and every one of us. it is our need to focus on our strengths while developing our weaknesses to work towards his overall goal of  making our world a better place. i have been thinking about that alot lately...how to make sure you both never lose sight of the wonderful strengths you possess, the courage to speak your mind, believe in yourselves and do what is right.

right now there is very little that you are afraid to share...for better or worse. claire, you speak your mind openly and you do it boldly. mya, you don't necessarily have alot to say, but your single words, their loudness, the tone of voice with which you speak and your facial expressions convey so much more! i want to preserve that boldness while teaching you about the love, kindness, and gentleness that must accompany it.

making the world a better place is a daunting task.  however, you will never go it alone. stay focused, stay positive and speak up. God's grace is all around, even in those who are stuck in self-pity. remember God has a plan for everyone. do your part to fullfill his plan.