On May 27th, 2014, a little man entered into this world.  Along with my family, I anxiously awaited his arrival, but I could never have been prepared the for love that would overtake me the moment I held him in my arms.

My nephew, James KalEl Dillon (yes, Superman), became the first nephew, the first grandson, the first everything.

I haven't been able to see him for a few weeks, but I can't wait to hold him again.

Linking Up With

Last week, along with my friends and family, I said goodbye to two people.  I think their memory has made me nostalgic for my own grandparents that I rarely get to see.  But whatever the reason, I found myself remembering lessons my grandparents taught me.

I'm very blessed to have two sets of grandparents who have walked through life with me.  I've learned a lot from all of them.  I might not have mastered all of the lessons yet, and perhaps never will.  I strongly doubt that the lessons of "never say a bad word about someone" will keep (mostly because I inherited the art of bluntness from one of my grandfathers.) But I will work on it.  And I'll mess up.  And then I'll work on it again because right now, looking at my life, I can't imagine anything more worth while than passing their legacy on to the children God will give me.

There's no way that I could put these little lessons in any kind of order.  There's really no need to try.  So without further ado...


When I was first instructed with this life lesson my grandpa had just read one of my college essays.  "This is excellent writing.  You could speak this, you know?  But, I tell you.  If you really want to be an excellent speaker learn a new word everyday.  Get out a dictionary and just start learning words.  Write it in a sentence.  Say it through the day."

I definitely haven't practiced this as religiously as I should.  For a while I had an app on my phone that gave me a new word to learn everyday, but I decided I needed the memory for things like music and videos.  No, I haven't practiced this lesson.  But I think there's a lesson in this lesson that I have applied.

Studying, reading, memorizing...all these activities keep our minds sharp and they really do make us better people.  Taking classes that feed our imagination.  Learning a new skill.  Finding a new hobby.  These are all activities that increase our brain function.  That's what is really important.

This is not a goal that can just be attained.  It's a goal that has to be practiced.  It's actually more like a discipline.  No, disciplines are not easy.  They are, in fact, very difficult, but that's what makes them so worth while in the first place.


What is a life lesson you've learned from your grandparents?