Fifty from the Page
Christina Rost
Today I’m turning fifty, so I opened a fresh page and wrote what I don’t want to forget.
I learned some of these along the way. A few were given to me by people who had already lived them. All of them stuck.
These are not lessons I have finished. They are what I want within reach: faith, the good plates, the people, the page. Still in pencil. Still learning. Still writing my story.
- God is always faithful. Always.
- Forgive.
- Eating your carrots won’t keep your eyesight from getting worse.
- Invest in your marriage.
- Social media is not connection.
- The friends you find in your 30s and 40s are more precious than gold.
- Use the good plates.
- Read your Bible every morning. It is the manual for everything in life. Everything.
- Every breath is a gift.
- Find a doctor you trust. Don’t stay with one just because.
- Question things. We grew up asking why. Why do we stop?
- Pray. About everything.
- Write the book.
- Have at least one full bookshelf in your house.
- Tell your story. Family might not ask, but they will want to know when you are gone.
- Ask family members about their childhood.
- Say thank you.
- Journal daily, even if just a few lines.
- Receive the hugs.
- Hold hands.
- Write a letter when you can.
- Read every day.
- Learn something new often.
- Live like a tourist.
- Practice hospitality.
- Talk to people.
- Value the stories of people older than you.
- Value the concerns of people younger than you.
- Don’t be afraid to fail.
- Seasons still change.
- Give grace.
- Have patience.
- Learn the love languages of those close to you.
- Give and give often.
- Remember, we are all made in the image of God.
- Read your Bible through in a year. Several times throughout your life.
- Cry when it hurts.
- Enjoy nature and give thanks to the Creator.
- Travel when you can.
- Take photos of yourself.
- Celebrate your birthday.
- Tell your adult children you’re thinking about them.
- Don’t hold on to material things.
- Don’t watch the news.
- Learn history.
- Study the biographies of the great men and women of God.
- Practice humility.
- Rest is obedience, not laziness.
- It is never too late to begin.
- Say I Love You.
What about you? What’s on your page?