Remember:

A recent assignment for one of my classes was to write my Ethical Will. An ethical will is not the same as the type of will where we list out our valuables that we want to leave behind but rather a list of our values that we want to leave behind.
I began my ethical will by saying something directly to my immediate family and then proceeded with what I would want read at my funeral to all of my other friends and family. I know that we often wait until a death or near death to share things like this so I decided to go ahead and share mine with you all now and Lord willing it will be a REALLY LONG time before this is read aloud at my funeral! :)

Excerpt from my Ethical Will written 4/6/11

Now for everyone else, I would like to share with you a few points that I have always strived to live by. Notice I said strived, so don’t be sitting there thinking off all the times, I didn’t, and instead be thinking of all the times ahead of you that you can!



When others let you down, don’t feel extremely hurt or surprised….We let ourselves down, how can we expect others not to?


Simple things, it is the simple things you miss when you lose something so remember to be thankful for and truly enjoy the simple things. It is not possible to name one thing you cannot live without, but you can name a million things…realize that you need them all.


Talk to God daily, not just when you need Him….truth is, you need him daily so make sure you tell Him or He will tell you.


Smile.


Do not stay angry. Most arguments last a few minutes and are over….let them be over. At some point in time you will look back and not even remember what the argument was about.


Do not have regrets. Even if you wish you could change something, don’t. It may not have turned out how you expected but learn from it rather than regret it.


Stay involved, surround yourself with people, you will find that in helping others you also reap the benefits. It makes you feel good!


Don’t be afraid to let the things that made you laugh when you were a child also make you laugh today. Build sandcastles, swing on a tire swing, and eat ice cream before dinner.


Make your children each feel special. My mom still gives me a piece of candy or tells me a “secret” and tells me not to tell my siblings this makes me feel special…just as it does them when she does the same for them. Never tell mom you know she does this for each of you.


Do not settle. With another person or yourself, do not settle, always have what you know you deserve.


Remember we are all different, our little things, or idea of settling, or what makes us laugh is different. So never belittle someone else’s ideas, just understand that they are different from yours…chances are if you stopped pointing and joined in, you may be able to add a few things to your lists of simplistic laughs!


Remember that because it hurts does not mean it is wrong. The pain will go away but the situation won’t, so just know that you will get through the hurt at some point. Also remember that point does not have clock so do not give it one.


Trust. Some people say they trust until the trust is broken. Fix it. This is a hard one but fixing it is not the problem….allowing it to be fixed is the problem. If your trust is broken again then fix it again. This does not mean keep getting your trust broken from the same situation, it just means repair it and move on while remembering, just because it hurts doesn’t mean it’s wrong


Love your spouse unconditionally with everything in you. If you truly do this, then many arguments will be avoided. Think about something you are truly passionate about, sports, children, your job…now think about how often you overlook the small stuff that can arise from this passion…be this way about your spouse.


Listen to people. Really listen. Don’t just hear, but listen.
Always remember people’s name. Nothing impresses them more or makes them feel important like being remembered. Even if they don’t remember yours, I bet they will remember you.


When you say you forgive, then forgive.


Forgiveness: To give up resentment of. –Webster

This is one of the only times I say to give up.


Nobody is made to flatter you, so when given a compliment, remember it is genuine and say “Thank you” instead of pointing out every flaw to show the person they are wrong. Just say thanks.


Always say what you need to say just not always as soon as you feel the need to say it. Write it out, put the note away, three days later read it…if you still want to say it without changing one small word on your paper then say it. But if you do want to change one word, then change it, put it away and try again three days later, continue this until it is ready to be said without changes or until you realize it never will be ready.


Take care of yourself. Do not go to the doctor only when 911 is in need of being called. Make sure you treat your body right…it’s the only thing that I can guarantee you will never leave you, it is always yours. How you choose to treat it at 15 effects how you have to treat it at 75.


Help people. Not only the people who help you or the people who would if they could, but also the people who can and never would…help them too.


Have fun.


When asked to keep a secret, keep it. Even if the person who tells you their secret tells a thousand other people you still keep it and as often as you may hear others speak of it, you don’t. Eventually this person will remember why it was so important to be classified as a secret in the first place…always know that you kept it just that, a secret.


When wanting to share your own secret, look in the mirror and share it with the person staring back.


Cry when you need to. Also, not only women were given tear ducts, there is a reason for that men…it’s ok to cry.


When stressed, If you pass an empty field, pull the car over, do a few kart wheels…the people waiting on you will understand or not believe you, either way I can assure you that once you catch your breath, you will be breathing better.


Send her flowers, buy her a dress, change the babies diaper and take her to dinner without needing a reason or special occasion.


Send him fishing, buy him a new Driver, change the air filter, and make him his favorite dish without needing a reason or special occasion.


Honesty is just as important to other people as it is to you…think of this kind of like you do the Golden Rule.


Be welcoming but not naïve.


Do your part and even above your part, but ask for help, there is a reason you are not the only person on earth.


Be thankful for your five senses…use them each for something good daily.

Remember to say always say Please and God Bless You.


Sip on your favorite drink. Taste your favorite meal.


Write important stuff down; remember to go back at some point read what you write down, to help you remember what is important and if it isn’t, if it should be.

I hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed thinking about what is truly important to me and listing them all out...the best part is that I have added to it since my original assignment was turned in and only hope to keep this list growing! :)

xoxo,
Faith