Have Fun. Be Good. Stay Safe.

These are six very short words. They encompass all we care about when dealing with our adolescent and young adult children….

I tried for a long time to figure out the best way to send our son and his friends off for the evening, for a weekend adventure, for a mission trip, to college, etc, without placing un-needed( or -wanted!) guilt or angst on them, while at the same time letting them know how much we care about them. These six words seemed to always cover our concerns and communicate our wishes for wonderful adventures for the kiddos.

Have Fun……. have splendid adventures, our kids! We hope and want you to have great times and amazing discoveries. You don’t need to share all the details with us (unless, of course, you choose to)…. but we want you to explore and make memories.

Be Good…… don’t do things that will land you in hot water or legal trouble (among other things), dear ones. Don’t make choices that are harmful, dangerous, or illegal. It’s simply not worth it. Pushing the boundaries…… as long as it’s age-appropriate, that’s one thing. Beyond that….don’t do things that will jeopardize your health or future.

Stay Safe…. this is the most important one. As you are making your way through your life adventures, please take care of yourselves and each other. Be diligent about safety – whether it is recreational, outdoors-adventures-related, relationship-related… I could go on and on, but you don’t need me to. You know what I am talking about. Make sure everyone around you is safe. No experience is worse than a parent getting a phone call from law enforcement officials, informing them of something horrible that has happened to their child.

My community of adults salutes our community of the young adults we care about and love. Don’t forget…. we have been in the same place as you, even if it seems like a million years ago to you. But we worked hard, made sure we made good choices….. and, in the end, we were rewarded by having you as our children! Life is so good……

So in closing, my dear young friends…. Have Fun. Be Good. Stay Safe. Tonight, tomorrow, and every day……

 

We Are All In This Together

We Are All In This Together.

We Are All In This Together

Two untimely deaths this past week in our community. Two young men, both full of promise, passed away. One was 23; his death was completely unexpected. The other was 33; his death was anticipated, but still highly mourned. The first young man was at the very beginning of his adult/professional life, and he had already made a difference for so many and touched so many lives. The second young man was in the midst of his career helping people; he also touched the lives of countless people, and left behind a beautiful wife and infant twin children.

The looks of grief, compassion and loss of people in our community were so abundant this past week. And the hugs…. they were also abundant. Some people knew one of the men and his family; some knew both men and both of their families. Walking down the street, seeing people in the grocery store, words on social media…… all emotions were raw and painful and heart-felt. 

Funeral homes and churches were full of emotions the past few days as we all mourned these two men, whose lives were both cut too short. And we all mourned the loss of the promise of the many more amazing things they would have done if they had only lived longer. 

As I posted on Facebook recently, being part of a community is a blessing and a privilege. Sometimes we cheer together or for each other; sometimes we share the joy and celebrate together; sometimes we share the frustrations; sometimes we share the burdens and the sorrows. The point is…… we share, whether it’s good or it’s bad. So… a blessing and a privilege (never a curse, no matter how bad the day might seem). And that’s what it means to be in a community.