Friend Up

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
— Proverbs 13:20
Friend Up.jpg

My Dearest MacKynzie,

As you are growing up and going through school you will have friends that come and go. Some will lift you up and some will drag you down. This little piece of advice will save you so much frustration and I hope you are listening. 

You can pick who your friends are. Who you spend time with will help you develop your personality, give you strength to make it through tough times, and make you a better person within. There is a saying when someone gets married to someone out of their league, they 'married up'. Well, I want you to 'friend up'. If you surround yourself with people that are out of your league...smarter, more driven, more experienced, more loving and caring.. you will rise to meet them. 

My loving advice to you. Middle and high school will seem like a popularity contest but the time goes by fast and those will be some of the most important times in your life because it helps build your character. Never make fun of anyone or laugh with others that do. Stick up for others. Place yourself in groups where your friends are dreaming and creating and doing. If you fall into the pit of bad friends, no matter where you are in life, you can always change. Be bold and go outside of your comfort zone to find others that will lift you up! 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create!

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)

The Simple Things

“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil- this is God’s gift to man.”
—  Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
The Simple Things.jpg

My Dear MacKynzie, 

I have always been a go-getter with a million things on my to-do list. I like to read, learn and accomplish. I don’t like to waste time doing things that are not productive. Over the years I’ve learned that sometimes it is ok to sit back and take a breath. Sometimes you accomplish more by accomplishing less. You and your brother remind me every day how beautiful the world is, from the smallest flower to the brightest sunset. Please do not lose your love for beautiful things and take time to appreciate all that life has given you. You are much more fortunate than most. You have parents that love you, a sharp brain to guide you and opportunity before you. 

My loving advice to you. Every day make a conscious effort to stop and take in a good moment. Keep your simple pleasure spirit, smell the flowers and look at the sunset. Life is much better when you take some time to enjoy it. 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create!

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)

The Borrower is Slave to the Lender

“The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender.”
— Proverbs 22:7
The Borrower is a Slave.jpg

My Dearest MacKynzie-

It is hard to swim upstream. When everyone around you has credit cards, mortgages and car loans it is easy to jump in and go with the current. Spending more than you have is called getting into debt and that is bad! I hope that I can help you avoid debt and lead by example. 

Your daddy and I started our marriage with over $80,000 in medical bills. We were living paycheck to paycheck and struggled to pay our bills. We brought you into this world having no idea how we were going to afford it. Though you don’t remember, we all worked together to become completely debt free (except for the mortgage.. we are still working on that). We ate many macaroni dinners, purchased used clothes and rarely went out to eat. ‘Things’ became less important to all of us because we realized that we could be happy without them. Our friends all thought we were crazy and didn’t understand our strange lifestyle.

My loving advice to you. Create a budget and stick with it every month. Do not spend more than you make and save for things you want. The lifestyle you can live debt free is so much better. There is less waste, more joy in the simple things and no struggle to keep up with the family next door. You will be able to help others when they are in need, take vacations without the stress of the aftermath and help others learn to do the same. Dave Ramsey has some great tools to help you learn how to ‘live like no one else’. 

My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!  Live to inspire <3 to create! 

The purpose of sharing this letter is to inspire you. Please ‘like’ if you found this article useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)