Mom's Words of Wisdom!!!

I found a book today---actually was going to give it to Dirk for his birthday----and have read some very inspiring thoughts in it. So my lucky family you are going to see some of them. It is about why America is struggling and how we need to recapture what America once stood for. This writer thinks we should look to the Cowboy and their way of life for our answers.
The Code of the West
1. Live each day with courage
2. Take pride in your work
3. Always finish what you start
4. Do what has to be done
5. Be tough but fair
6. When you make a promise, keep it
7. Ride for the brand
8. Talk less and say more
9. Remember that some things aren't for sale
10. Know where to draw the line

Seven Core Values we can all share

1. COURAGE
2. OPTIMISM
3. SELF-RELIANCE
4. AUTHENTICITY
5. HONOR
6. DUTY
7. HEART

A couple of the quotes that I like----"A man who doesn't stand for something will fall for anything" "Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts"
"If you're lookin for a helpin hand, try the one on the end of you own damn arm" "Never cut what you can untie" "Always tighten your own cinch" "The rich man is not the one who has the most...but the one who needs the least" "Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation" and finally "Americans have always been able to handle austerity and even adversity, properity is what is doing us in."

This was pretty interesting and so true---Identity used to come from your family, your community and you expressed your personal values in word and deed. Now it seems to come mainly from what you own and what lifestyle you flaunt. It used to be that if you were smart, hard-working and kept your nose clean you'd earn enough for you and your family to live a comfortable life. But today, that's not enough. The lesson we teach now is you better get rich or you're screwed.

The little things are all that really count.....we all need to take heed and make sure we are not the greedy, tech-savvy, get rich people who have no time for what really matters. In the end it is not how you're buried but how you are remembered!