Things I Have Learned

As the season changes from summer to fall I am reflecting back on many things over the past few weeks that have allowed me to see life differently.  I am so grateful that after 43 years of my life I am still learning and gaining new perspectives.  Here are some things I have learned in the past five weeks:

1.   12 year olds DO NOT use a daily planner...no matter how hard you try to train them, they simply
      don't.  And don't ask them to be organized or think of anything else besides the current sport:
      football.
2.   Take your calcium.  After 66 years my mother broke a hip.  Did you read that age?  I said 66 not
      86.  Broken hips are, to quote Dr. Lash, "...always, always, always, always, always weak bones."
3.   Broken hips are not meant to be walked on even after pinned and 66 year old women are stubborn.
4.   Water is just simply not your friend...if it is anywhere besides in or on your body.  After owning a
       home for nearly 20 years I have to say the single biggest headache a homeowner has is water.
5.    The puking flu can last as long as 7 days and even adults can get dehydrated.
6.    Pennsylvania is really spelled  P-e-n-c-i-l-v-a-n-e-y-a.
7.    Football pants should never, never, never be white and "All" is not the stainlifter.
8.    Lightbulbs, sticks of butter (including the wrapper), Crocs, and fuzz from inside a stuffed football
       ARE all parts of a well-balanced diet of a Golden Doodle.
9.    The devil wants you to fail.  He is setting you up to look like a fool, to lose your cool, to stand in
        the way, ruin the words that you say.
10.   Friends with grace are lovely friends.
11.   Garage sales are a pain in the neck but it feels...oh, so good to purge!
12.   Sump pump cost: $201.39  A dry basement: priceless!
13.   One can never have too many Christmas decorations no matter what anyone says!
14.   Learning to be a parent of an adult child can be more difficult than parenting a toddler.
15.   Most teenagers do not say thank you.
16.   God is sovereign in every circumstance.  Ok, I knew that one already but it never hurts (ok,
        maybe it does a little) to learn a lesson twice, I mean three, ten, fifty times.