Transcription
[pen drawing of an owl with wings fully spread. Below its talons is a banner that reads]
Happy Birthday Will
Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your piece of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to ever person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
This will certainly make you wise beyond your years, young Will. I love you, buddy.
Be blessed
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Replies (6)
I realize you use this blog primarily to communicate with your family. Therefore, I apologize for intruding. Reading through the different blogs, your's caught my attention with your words and positive outlook. I just have to say that you are brilliant!! There is no other way to say it other to than to be frank and to the point. The advice you give to your children is so well written. I have three grown children myself and often I am at a loss for words in the advice department. I also love your artwork. You are very talented. Although it seems you have made your mistakes like we all have, it appears you have reconnected with your children and you show them that you love them very much. Lol, possibly sometime I might pick your brain on how to word the advice I give to my own children. Keep up the positive attitude, the blogging and the lovely artwork, I look forward to seeing more.
In Peace,
Karen
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my comment. You give very sound advice!! The bank analogy is very insightful. Definately one I will use myself in giving advice to my own children. However, I must disagree with you, that I do believe the brilliance that you possess is a god given intelligence rather than learned from past mistakes. I am sure the mistakes you have made in life made you wiser, but I would venture to guess that your I.Q. is wayyyyy up there Lol. I would also venture to guess that the staff where you are at find your intelligence level a challenge and rather intimidating Lol. Lastly, I have to remember to tell you that your artwork is amazing!! Please keep writing and drawing. I look forward to reading and seeing more from you. Thank you for the opportunity to join in on this line of communication with you.
Peace,
Karen
Thank you for your response!! You are correct in that it takes one to know one and it is always nice to communicate with someone who can offer me a bit of a challenge and also teach me something new.
First, let me say I.Q. is established through a series of tests given by Psychologists. I would venture to guess, that as odd as this may sound, your high I.Q. was a major contributing factor in many of your legal troubles. A high I.Q. without direction is a recipe for disaster. I have a son like you, and it was a constant challenge to keep him on track and a continual battle with the school system to keep him challenged. I finally had to pull him out of the main stream and put him in a school where they were equipped to handle his level of intelligence. Had I not done this, he would have ended up in trouble. He is thirty years old now, college educated, married and doing great.
You say that you were a rambunctious hoodlum; no, your were just lacking direction and under challenged. You once wrote in one of your blogs, that dysfunctional parents raise dysfunctional children. I couldn't agree more. I am the product of dysfunctional parents; alcoholic father, enabling mother who I might add was verbally abusive, so I have struggled not to raise dysfuntional children. To break the cycle so to speak. Still, it is a challege maintaining a relationship with my adult children because I was never taught to parent by example. However, it is easier for me than it is for you because I am out here in the free world.
I have read much of what you have written to your children. You appear to be a caring and concerened father who has acknowledged your wrong doing and you have attempted to forge an open honest relationship with your children and one can do no more than that. Yes, I believe that every generation has its gap and no, I do not believe this is a karmic manifestation for you. However, I think it is always wise as a parent to look within and ponder our reactions to what we percieve as slights from our children, as well as well as always keeping in mind that everyone has baggage that they carry.
I apologize, I know this is a lengthy post, but it is also a difficult question that you are pondering and one I could go on and on about lol. Keep trying Bill. Don't use passive aggression, be honest and direct and tell them you miss hearing from them. Better yet, maybe they will read this sermon that I have written and all will be well. Keep me posted, my thoughts are with you.
Peace,
Karen