life lessons

"What are two things you've learned in life?"

Interesting question. I had the opportunity to answer it recently, and it was hard narrowing the field to ONLY two. But it got me thinking....what have I learned so far? Here are a few things on my very long list:

*I have been richly blessed with a wonderful family and amazing friends.
*There is great peace in knowing that God has a plan and that He doesn't make mistakes. Even when everything seems hopeless.
*Money isn't everything. And the best things in life really are free--a child's smile, time with a friend, a special drawing from your 4 year old tucked into your overnight bag, sleepy hugs and slobbery kisses, dandelions carefully picked by chubby hands...
*Some days I don't have enough patience to parent my crew.
*Some days the 'to-do list' of life feels horribly overwhelming. "Just do the next thing" is what keeps me moving.
*Because I tend to process things by thinking rather than talking, I can be very slow to respond. As a matter of fact, I typically come up with the 'best' response much later than I need it. That's frustrating!
*I spend too much time on the coulda/woulda/shoulda and the if-only of life and too little time simply enjoying it.
*I NEED time to myself once in a while--time to do what I want to do, have a complete thought without interruption, read a page (or a chapter, or heaven forbid an entire book!) without someone needing my attention. Without that, I tend to get very grumpy. Once a month would be heavenly, once a quarter would be amazing, but I can be content with once a year.
*I'm a terrible candidate to win the lottery. I'd give away most of it, and probably need a bigger house for the additional children I'd adopt! :)
*I need a 12 step recovery group for my addiction to babies. There's a reason I work in the nursery--so I can hold them!! I'd have another baby in a heartbeat if they'd just stay little for me.
*It's never to late to tell someone you appreciate them.
*Fancy vacations are overrated. I'd rather settle in at a cozy cabin at the beach and watch the storms blow through.
*Watching my guys grow up and spread their wings is the hardest, most rewarding thing I've ever done. And I'm SO not ready for this next step. When did my firstborn get so old?
*I hate not being able to fix things for people! Seeing people I care about hurting is hard, and knowing there's very little I can do makes it worse.
*I hate confrontation. And I don't want to let people down.
*Teenagers are great people! Most of them don't deserve the bad rap they get. And I have LOVED having 4 of them living here at the same time!


So, what have YOU learned from life??