The 60 Most Valuable Life Lessons

Dec 5

Well, it has arrived … the week and the month of my 60th birthday. Although that may not mean anything to you … it means something immeasurably significant to me.

Turning the big 6-0 means that my life is about to become richer and even more impactful.

Turning 60 doesn’t imply that I am an old lady … it simply means that the lessons that I have learned over the past 60 years are valuable.

To me … standing on the threshold of having lived for 60 glorious, irreplaceable, incomparable years is something to shout about!

Turning 60 is a milestone worth celebrating, indeed! And so, I celebrate with you today! My gift to you is 60 of the most valuable lessons I have learned on my life journey.

1 – Love your parents with your whole heart.
2 – Always keep a song in your heart.
3 – People deserve kindness more than they desire your opinion.
4 – Don’t take parenting too seriously.
5 – Take parenting seriously.
6 – The reason you are on earth is to love difficult people. Think about that for a minute!!
7 – You can never say, “Thank you!” often enough.
8 – Time spent reading is never wasted time.
9 – Time spent playing is never wasted time.
10 – Love your spouse with your whole heart.
11 – Wring the joy out of an ordinary day every day.
12 – Introduce yourself to a stranger at least once a week.
13 – Don’t shovel snow when you should be planting flowers. Know what season of life you are in and respond appropriately.
14 – Go to church even when you don’t feel like it. Think about it … God is waiting to meet with you where 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name! I wouldn’t miss that meeting for the world!!
15 – Don’t get into debt. Save more than you spend.
16 – Call your grandmother. And your mom.
17 – Stay in touch with childhood friends.
18 – Listen to more than one kind of music. Include jazz, classical, worship, Big Band, oldies, country and Christmas music in your weekly choices!
19 – Hang out with children every chance you can.
20 – Hang out with older people every chance you can.
21 – Make sure that your addictions are healthy ones.
22 – Go to fireworks on the Fourth of July.
23 – Listen to Christmas music starting on October 1.
24 – Invite lonely people to your Thanksgiving dinner.
25 – Hang up Christmas stockings even when your children are grown and gone.
26 – Watch football with your husband … or … go shopping with your wife!
27 – Love your children with your whole heart.
28 – Valentines are not just for elementary school friendships.
29 – Keep a prayer journal. Record not only your prayer requests but also the answers to prayers that you have received.
30 – Laugh with your kids once a day. Tease them. Tickle them. Tell them jokes.
31 – When you get to the end of your life, it will be faith, family and friends that have made every day worthwhile.
32 – You can never sing loud enough nor laugh often enough!
33 – Long walks on a country road are a healing balm to the soul.
34 – There really is no place like home. Thank you, Dorothy, for those words of wisdom.
35 – And … contrary to the beliefs of Thomas Wolfe … you actually can go home again!
36 – Make sure that you create a home worth coming home to.
37 – Don’t gossip. It’s never worth it.
38 – Get in the delightful habit of saying positive, affirmative words behind people’s backs.
39 – Laugh at yourself. We all make silly mistakes!
40 – Listen to the older generation. Hear their hearts … listen to their opinions … smile at their memories … and learn from their wisdom.
41 – Listen to the younger generation. Hear their hearts … listen to their opinions … and share in their dreams.
42 – Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year because a Baby changed everything!
43 – It is actually more fun to believe! I’ll take faith over fear every day of every week!
44 – You are never too old to dream a new dream or to set a new goal. Never. I want to dream an amazing new dream and set an impossible goal the day before I go to heaven when I am in my 90’s!
45 – Memorizing Bible verses is not just for 5th graders!
46 – Worrying is a waste of valuable time. Why worry when you can pray?!
47 – Life is not about you.
48 – Your life matters. It matters very much.
49 – Forgiveness robs the past of its power and powerfully changes the impact of your future!
50 – Babies and children are not spoiled by love. They are spoiled by things. Hold your babies. Snuggle with your children. A compassionate, kind and patient mother is a world-changing mother.
51 – Be a better listener than you are a talker.
52 – No one will ever understand like Jesus. No one.
53 – The words “I’m sorry” are among the most powerful words in the English language.
54 – You are always just one day away … one prayer away … one choice away … from the greatest breakthrough of your life!
55 –“Jesus loves me, this I know” is the most beautiful, rich and true song ever written.
56 – You are not defined by how much you earn but by how much you give.
57 – When you are too tired to work, too spent to dream and too weary to take another step … you can always sing!
58 – The great hymns of faith are the greatest treasure of any generation.
59 – You are the most powerful when you are on your knees.
60 – Read your Bible every day. Your world will thank you for it.