365 days of learning, growing, and being thankful

Good morning! Today is January 2, 2015! Holy crap, 2015!? Where has the time gone? Well, 2014 was a year to remember. I got married, celebrated 1 year at my job, and my car lived to see another year, but it was touch and go for a while. However, I lost my grandfather on November 21, and the man who was like another dad to me on December 22. That was too much loss too close together, but we made it through another year. I am grateful to have had the time I did with those two men who meant so much to me, and I know when it's my turn to go, I'll see them again.

You don't fully realize how valuable life is until someone you love is taken away or you have to watch someone you love suffer with the C word. When I look at my nieces and nephews I'm reminded of their innocence, and then I look out into the world they're growing up in and it scares me. What world are we leaving them with? What examples are we giving them to live by? I know that in our/their family/families there are wonderful role models, ones that will teach unfaltering acceptance, ones that will teach them diversity, ones that will teach to trust in the Lord with all they have, ones that will teach them how to live off the land, to work for what you want, to hunt, to fish. When you look at the families there is wonderful role models, but they can't be surrounded by family 24/7 and they do need to experience the bad of the world, just so they can embrace the good with that much more gusto. If we teach them the good, then they can grow up and teach others. This cycle of ungrateful, privileged, entitled, I want what I want and I want it right now people can end. Maybe not anytime soon, but eventually. When people become grateful with what they have, and they don't covet what others have, when we don't "keep up with the Jonse's", then and only then can we move forward. You're always going to be stuck in a cycle of keeping up until you decide to be thankful for what you already have. 

We can't go on raising our children to be entitled or that they're always going to get what they want without even working for it. That doesn't teach them the real world, and then when they become adults what are they going to think? My husband and I have put much thought into this, and though we don't have children right now, we know that when we do, how we ideally want to raise them. I know things don't always go as planned and monkey wrenches do get thrown into plans, but if you raise your children to care for one another, and if you teach them hardwork and discipline, then there's a chance they'll teach their children that, too. Then without even thinking about it, we've created a whole new and better cycle. We could potentially raise a generation of people who are grateful for what they have, people who aren't entitled, people who just want to see good things happen in the world. 

I know some of you are saying, you don't have children, you don't know what it's like. You'll understand when you have children, but no, I get it now. We have to break out of these cycles. We have to help one another out, we can't be petty or selfish. The world doesn't help those who only help themselves. 

I don't know, this probably sounds like a bunch of rambling, and it probably doesn't make sense. I just had to get my thoughts out and share my beliefs. What this world needs is a lot more Jesus and a lot less entitlement.

XoXo,

Tia