I love Teens

I love my teens. (OK, this includes my youngest daughter, who is not quite a teen--but love her anyway.) There seems to be so much negative press about teens. And yes, I'm guilty of making poor jokes about teenagers. But the truth is, I love the hope, the optimism, the energy and the passion of teenagers. Yes, their lives are truly before them and this is an awesome time for them. I don't believe it is any easier being a teenager than it ever was. Especially if the teenager doesn't want to be what everyone else is; she wants to be herself. And, of course, herself is often what doesn't seem to be "normal" or whatever. The tough part for many kids to understand is that all of us have felt this pressure to hide ourselves or fight the world. But my small circle of teens are awesome in part because they are developing their courage to be themselves within and in spite of their world. I truly admire, respect and love these gals. I love the enthusiasm for discussing moral issues. I love their unique voices and viewpoints. Although I can't always hear it when they all talk at once, I love to hear what they're thinking. Did I say I love my teens?! You go girls! You rock! You're awesome and the best of the world today.

HONESTY, QUALITY, INTEGRITY

HONESTY, QUALITY & INTEGRITY

Honesty is one of the core values my parents instilled in me. We were told that if we were honest when we'd done something wrong that our punishment would be less severe than if we lied or tried to hide or misdeeds. And my parents lived up to that promise. The result? Now I live my life with as much open honesty as possible. I make mistakes today and I own up to them honestly. The result? Most people are kind, forgiving and appreciative of my honesty and courage. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for making it more scary to be found deceiving you than to living in honesty!

Quality is important. Quality is of value. The best possible. I try to stay balanced about it, but quality is what I try to offer to my family, my friends and my businesses. Quality time -- focusing on those who are with me. Quality emotions -- staying realistically positive and encouraging. Quality effort -- making sure that what I do is at least appropriate for the needs to be met; but not falling into the trap of perfectionism. Again, I have to say thanks to my parents. They lived out the adage, "If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right the first time."

Integrity is what drives the honesty and quality now that I am an adult. Integrity means being real with myself and by myself. At the end of the day, I always want to say that I have done the best I can; that I have been honest with myself and with others; that I have given the best quality that I can. It is acknowledging when I fall short, giving myself a litle credit for being human and working dilligently to keep myself on track.

Honesty, Quality and Integrity. These "virtues" help me to live my life so that I don't have to hide who and what I am. 5/14/08 LM