Happy New Year! I can’t believe 2018 has already come and gone. I hope each of you had a great year filled with sweet memories, wonderful days, and memorable nights, and I hope that 2019 is your best year yet!
The new year is also special for me because I started Life with the Lokeys exactly two years ago! To be honest, when I sat down to write my first blog post, I really had no idea where to start. I just knew it was something I have always wanted to do but never went for it. It took a few of my sweet and dear friends to nudge me a little to take the leap and start writing! There are so many people I would like to thank for reading along and sharing this journey with me.
As I start the new year, I know that there are many changes coming for my family in the next few months. Our time in Okinawa has finally come to an end. We will be moving to our next duty station around June. We are so excited to find out where our next place to live will be. I will be sure to let you know as soon as we find out. I can guarantee that we will have many adventures this year so be sure to follow along!
As I reflect on the last year, I would like to share with you a few life lessons that I came across that really stuck with me. As you know, we lost George and Barbara Bush this year, and being from Texas they were two amazing people that lived a life of service to our country. The one thing that I loved the most is how much they loved each other. I could tell that in George W Bush’s speech that this had the biggest impact on his life.
So here are George Bush’s 10 Rules for Life: “I cannot single out the one greatest challenge in my life. I have had a lot of challenges and my advice to young people might be as follows…
1. Don’t get down when your life takes a bad turn. Out of adversity comes challenge and often success.
2. Don’t blame others for your setbacks.
3. When things go well, always give credit to others.
4. Don’t talk all the time. Listen to your friends and mentors and learn from them.
5. Don’t brag about yourself. Let others point out your virtues, your strong points.
6. Give someone else a hand. When a friend is hurting, show that friend you care.
7. Nobody likes an overbearing bigshot.
8. As you succeed, be kind to people. Thank those who help you along the way.
9. Don’t be afraid to shed a tear when your heart is broken because a friend is hurting.
10. Say your prayers.
Finally, I want to leave you with one more thing for the new year! One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Hope Floats…”Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most…try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up…and it will.”
So as we welcome 2019..make the middle count!! I love ya’ll and I am so thankful for you! XOXO
