All I Need to Know

This week I needed to take a step back and remember the messages we all learned when we were children. Here’s a poem from the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum as part of that reminder:

Most of what I really need

To know about how to live

And what to do and how to be

I learned in kindergarten.

Wisdom was not at the top

Of the graduate school mountain,

But there in the sand pile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything

Play fair.

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life –

Learn some and think some

And draw and paint and sing and dance

And play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go into the world,

Watch out for traffic,

Hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the life of being an adult especially an adult with a spouse with children. We have those driving needs to provide for our family, to move ahead in our careers etc. which leaves little time for personal time and reflection. The above poem is a reminder.

After our incredible family vacation at DisneyWorld, I wrote down some of my memories, so I wouldn’t forget that special time. Re-reading them today reminded me why I wrote them down in the first place and gave me a quiet time to reflect on God and all my blessings.

It’s the little things. It’s being present and paying attention. It’s watching through the eyes of our children/grandchildren. Here are a few of my examples:

*Zane’s pure enjoyment during the 3D shows trying to catch things.

*Bria and I having our hula hoop contest in Hollywood Studios which ended in a tie.

*Being surprised with a gift of a Fast Pass for 5 by a Disney employee which Bria later gave to a family of 5 to enjoy since we were not going to be able to use the Fast Pass.

*Nyelle’s face looking up at the princesses during the Princess Breakfast.

*Teagan being totally in awe watching the finale at Magic Kingdom with all the fireworks. She had to be sure to see the top part of the castle because it was the most magical. She was mesmerized.

*Kyan’s cheerful demeanor, unless he was hungry, his flexibility to sleep in the stroller, and his pure enjoyment watching all the colors, the rides…EVERYTHING!

*Ethan’s proud moment of helping Kyan eat and bonding with the littlest of the cousins.

*Sophia, despite being 12 and much older than her cousins, was helping out, holding hands, and having fun.

*Michelle giving basketball tips to the waiter at the Ohana restaurant.

*Elsa surprising us all with a beautiful design, front and back, of a t-shirt we would all cherish long after the trip was over.

*Garet, Rob, and Jason breaking down the strollers in record time to be sure we could get on the bus easily.

*Jodi being the master of the Disney app; checking our wait times and directing us in the right direction.

*Jon speaking Norwegian to all the people in Norway (in Epcot.)

*Amanda making sure we all had our sunscreen on.

*Sophia getting to go back to the park at night with just her mom and Uncle Jason to ride some bigger rides and go through the Haunted House.

*Teagan and Nyelle laughing when Pluto signed their autograph books on his nose.

*Bria and Zane pressing pennies and putting them into their book.

*Ethan helping push Kyan’s stroller.

*Going on Splash Mountain where Nyelle’s job was to keep me from being scared, and I was to keep the water out of her eyes. We were both successful.

*The many pictures with the entire family, pictures of each family, and pictures with Jon.

*The beauty of our surroundings, the laughter of each grandchild, the upbeat and positive attitudes of all the park people.

*The pleases and thank you’s of each grandchild! PRICELESS!

“Hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder.”

Book Suggestion: Rings of Truth by Jim Britt

Quote: “We all have different gifts and talents, different likes and dislikes, different goals in life – these things make us unique, and we should be grateful for them. Love respects those differences.”

“I am thankful, Father, that You created us all uniquely.”