Life Lessons

Life Lessons:   This is a link to a final lecture given by Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who is dying of cancer, he will leave behind 3 very young children.   It really got me thinking.

You never know when your time will be up.  My mother died at 51 years old, my father at 61.  Even if you hate how you look in videos or in pictures (I do, and we call my husband "Papa Razzi" since he loves taking pictures), they may be the only things left behind.  Your family won't care that you are too fat or too thin, or need a haircut...Create the memories, document your life, document you interacting with your children, with your loved ones, get in the picture, not just behind the camera! 

I am planning on adding to the journal I started for my 2 year old while I was pregnant.  Life got in the way and I haven't been writing in there much, I thought I would remember dates better, luckily thanks to her daddy, I should be able to go through pictures and re-create journal entries about her first tooth, her first steps, her first words.  I was never really good at journaling.  Well, that is not exactly true, I am really good at starting them.  I have at least 10 books around the house that include a max of 2 weeks of my life.  Usually they document the beginning of yet another diet! What a waste. 

I think the things I will include in my daughter's journal...things I wish I knew, love letters to my daughter,  Lessons learned, joys, things I am greatful for, what I learned from a struggle or a hardship.  I will tell her how much her dad loves her, about all the special people in her life.  I will tell her when she made us laugh and when she made us proud, when she showed someone compassion or empathy.  These are the things she needs to know.

Hopefully we will be able to share it together with her children, but if not, she won't have to wonder.