A lady I really admired passed away this past Sunday. Considering this is a public site, I am not saying her name due to privacy reasons. Her funeral was today, and it only seeming fitting that even the skies were crying for her. This woman truly was one of the most inspirational women I have ever know.She truly was a shining light to all her knew her, and myself, as well as many others, will truly miss her. Her life was characterized by such passion and purpose. Even at the very end, she remained focused on the important things in her life. I am so thankful to have known her and when I do finally breathe my last breath, hopefully a looooooooong time from now, I hope I will have finished as well as she did.
A long time ago, I wrote out the mission statement of my life. At first glance, I know how cheesy that must sound. A few years ago, I would have laughed at myself, in fact. But I firmly believe that life is too important to not live on purpose. And tonight I am regrouping and clarifying again the principles I want to live my life by and count for.


1. Family is the most important thing. For the people who know me best, at least part of my family and my relationship with them is described at best complicated. However, for better or worse, I love them all with all my heart. I love the quote in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, when Paul basically says it like it is. '' The thing that makes us family is that we can believe, sometimes against all odds, in the best in each other. To me that basically sums up how I feel in one quote. I think you always take care of your family, even when they don't always deserve it no questions asked. I want to be the daughter, grandaughter, cousin, niece, etc, that will drop everything if a family member is in trouble to help without question. I want them to always know how much I care about them.

2. I want to give nothing less than my very best! I think anything worth doing is worth doing right.In everything I do, I want to strive to give 110% and accept nothing less than my very best. To me, anything short of that is just not acceptable. I also thinks this expands into becoming the best person you can possibly be. I always want to strive to use all my abilities and opportunities as fully as I can. One day, I want to be able to tell God that I used everything He gave me. Honestly, I think being your best self really just translates into making a lot of hard choices that are not always instantly rewarding but for your greater good and well being on down the road.

3. I want to make it a point to do one thing a day that scares me. By this, I don't mean something dangerous but something out of my comfort zone. I am a naturally shy person, and this is an area I am always trying to push myself in. I want to always keep the focus off myself and onto others by continually pushing myself by saying hello to someone new or striking up a conversation with someone I've been wanting to get to know. I want to strive to not be so selfish and put others needs before my own.

4. I want to do something once a day that is just incredibly fun! A few years ago, I realized that I had forgotten to have fun, the kind of fun that leaves you just so giddy and in the moment that you lose all track of time for a few minutes. I want to always make time to do that every day, whether it is taking a spontaneous run though the spinklers in a park, jumping in a leaf pile, or having one of those deep belly laughs with a friend that has you gasping for breath and holding yours sides.

5. I want to always check my motives before I do something or make a big decision . I deceided a long time ago that I would never make a deceision because I felt pressured, bullied, or becuase everyone else was doing it, whatever it is. I try to always check my motives and ask myself the hard questions. Why am I really doing this? I don't always follow my own advice and usually end up making choices I regret. But this is something I try to always strive for.

6. Communication is the way to go. I wholeheartedly believe that you should never say anything about someone that you would not say to their face. People would spare themselves so much heartache if they were just honest about what they were thinking and feeling. I want to always be the type of people that what you see is what you get. And I expect people to be the same way with me. If I have offended you or hurt your feeling, please just tell it to me straight.I want to always be as real and authentic as possible.

7. I want to be the best friend I can possibly be. My goal is to always be a loyal friend. I think when you have a true friendship with someone, that it is not based on their actions or choices. I want to strive to be the friend that will be in it for the long haul. Someone you can call at 3 AM if you are in trouble or just need to chat.

8. I want to trust in God completely and continue to grow in my relationship with Him. This is a very personal area, and one I take very seriously. I am just now learning so many things, and I want to keep growing in this area. I am thankful that God can see the big picture even when I can't.Usually, when something dosen't turn out, it is because God had something so much better than I could imagine in mind. I make a ton of mistakes, but I want to always keep trying.

And so there you have it. These are basically '' the rules'' I live my life by. Summing it all up, I basically just want to always live in the moment, enjoying each experience and person God puts in my life.I want the people in my life to know how much I care about them and for their lives to be better for knowing me. I want to always give everything my very best and make the most of the opportunites that come my way.

This is my mission statement for my life. Hopefully, this will continue to help me keep things in perspective and focus on the important things in life. I'm sure this will change as I grow and have new experiences such as marriage or motherhood. But in the meantime, even I'm having a horrible week at work , I can still remember that that is okay, becuase my life is really not about that.It is amazing what a little perspective can do.