Eleanor – My sister Sydney – I have been thinking about myself in a different way since I’ve graduated. I have been thinking about what qualities my sister has to be “adult”. She has been an adult her WHOLE life. She inspires me to be my most adult self.

Meg – Loving and understanding in sister fly (youth group leader)

Jessica – Single mom, took care of everyone. Everyone was loved by her. Mom was dedicated to being compassionate. Very sacrificial and accepting. You don’t always see things in people and understand how special and how much until afterward.

Mylee – My mom is so spiritual and so wise, she doesn’t need a lot of booksmarts. She trusts in God and shares her wisdom with me. It’s so lucky.

Amanda – I just had this flashback to my sophomore year of high school, when I had a horrible hard time with my mom. I wrote a crazy English assignment and my mother and father seemed to play negative roles at that time. I have become more grateful over time. My mom is so kind and I hope she will forgive me for things I said about and to her in my growing up years. I am really proud of her, she got her degree through correspondence while she was raising 4 kids.

Fairy Tale by Herman Hester – About a woman who has a baby and blesses him to be loved. He lives the most miserable life. But when she is old she gets to change her wish and she wishes for him to love everyone. Suddenly, poor, lonely and destitute, her son begins to live the best life. He lives a life filled with love.

Intelligence coupled with love is the best way. It is really hard to be intelligent and think critically about people and then put that into good instead of pushing people around or manipulating people.

It is hard to balance because you have so many relationships going on at once

I have a hard time because I keep myself so busy… that when I start having someone in my life I don’t know how to incorporate someone into my life without forgoing some things that are really important to me.

How do you find that balance?

Learn it from life experience: You can abandon things to hang with that person, or you can make an active choice to figure out who you are and what you need, and then only giving up those things that are actually going to hinder a relationship.

You cannot let yourself become weaker by giving up things… don’t get into a parasitic relationship

The problem with a divorce is you have to redefine yourself, you have to see which part of you is you and which part is something that the other person influenced and shaped.

What do you do to be yourself, no matter what?

Just taking time to be yourself, and do nothing. Just being in touch with yourself.

Remembering the people you can always rely on for your strength, like close familky and friends.

Doing things that make you uncomfortable… challenging yourself. (more…)