The following passage was e-mailed to me from a family member.
No author was included. If you are reading this and know
who wrote it, I would appreciate you dropping me a line.
Whoever wrote this deserves full credit. By the way, you might
want to get a tissue before reading on.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED
I've learned-
that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is be someone who can
be loved. The rest is up to them.
that no matter how much I care, some
people just don't care back.
that it takes years to build up trust
and only seconds to destroy it.
that it's not what you have in your life
but who you have in your life that counts.
that you can get by on charm for only
about 15 minutes. After that you'd
better know something.
that you shouldn't compare yourself
to the best that others can do.
that you can do something in an instant
that can give you a heartache for life.
that it's taking me a long time to become
the person I want to become.
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.
that you can keep going long after you
can't.
that we are responsible for what we do
no matter how we feel.
that either you control your attitude or
it controls you.
that regardless of how hot and steamy
a relationship is at first, the passion
fades and there had better be something
else to take it's place.
that heroes are the people who do what has
to be done when it needs to be done
regardless of the consequences.
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.
that sometimes the people you expect to kick
you when you're down will be the ones to
help you get back up.
that sometimes when I'm angry I have the
right to be angry but that doesn't give
me the right to be cruel.
that true friendship continues to grow
even over the longest distance. Same
goes for true love.
that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want them to doesn't mean
they don't love you with all they have.
that maturity has more to do with what
types of experiences you've had and what
you've learned from them and less to do
with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
that you should never tell a child their
dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few
things are more humiliating and what a
tragedy it would be if they believed it.
that your family won't always be there for
you. It may seem funny, but people you
aren't related to can take care of you and love
you and teach you to trust people again.
Families aren't biological.
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in
a while and you must forgive them for that.
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven
by others. Sometimes you have to learn to
forgive yourself.
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are but we
are responsible for who we become.
that just because two people argue, it
doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue doesn't
mean they do.
that we don't have to change friends if
we understand that friends change.
that you shouldn't be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life
forever.
that two people can look at exactly the
same thing and see something completely
different.
that no matter how you try to protect
your children, they will eventually get
hurt and you will hurt in the process.
that your life can be changed in a matter
of hours by people who don't even know you.
that even when you think you have no more
to give, when a friend cries out to you, you
will find the strength to help.
that credentials on the wall do not make
you a decent human being.
that the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.
that it's hard to determine where to draw
the line between being nice and not hurting
people's feelings and standing up for what
you believe.