15 Minutes to Live

I recently posed this simple but thought-provoking question to my LinkedIn followers:

“If you had just 15 minutes left to live, what would you tell your children are the 3 most important things you learned about how to live a happy life?”

I received over 150 responses to my question. Responses ranged from very simple to very deep and everything in between. Many of the responses were extremely wise, many were very personal and touching, and many were witty.

Perhaps the one that made me chuckle the most was this response from Rahul Vaidya: “1) Stay away from politics. 2) Stay away from politics. 3) Stay away from politics.”

But jokes aside, I was really quite impressed with how serious and thoughtful many of the responses were. I hope that each of the people who took time to respond also take time to share their 3 most important lessons learned with their children and loved ones!

While I realize the list of responses is quite long, I promised to publish them, and want everyone to have the chance to see them, so they are at the bottom of this post (for those reading this via email, the responses can be viewed online if they do not appear in the email). Next week I will share some of the specific insights I’ve gained from reading and studying all of these responses.

In the meantime, I hope you take a little time to reflect on this question as well. If you only had 15 minutes to do so, what would you tell your children about how to live a happy life? Are you living up to your own answers yourself, right now?

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Brody Laborde

1. KEEP GOD FIRST
2. SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY
3. ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

 Shradha Ahluwalia

1. Do good and be good to others, whatever might be the situation.
2. “To Err is human “, so learn from those errors.
3. Patience is Virtue.
4. Death is Certain, Its arrival is uncertain.

 Bhavana Shah Devireddy

1. Be compassionate and respectful to every living being on this earth
2. Enjoy your life and live in the moment… You don’t [know] what’s going to happen in the next hour, having said that save a bit for your future
3. Leave your anger and ego off your life, forgive everyone but remember [to] not make the same mistake twice

Diana Horn

1. Keep gratitude higher than your expectations
2. Always be kind and love those God puts in your day.
3. Be out in nature as much as possible, this is where God lives. 

Vijayendra Vinaya Murthy

1. love all, including yourself
2. set priorities-work, personal and self
3. enjoy whatever you are doing

Darien Smith

1. Pay yourself first
2. Travel often
3. Give back (you define this in your own way)

Melanie Rose

1. Love, unconditionally without ceasing
2. Forgiveness, for yourself and others; until you are perfect it’s better not to expect others to be perfect
3. Create Family and Friendship traditions worthy of the memories that will go down in history.

Irwan Suwondo

1. Believe in GOD & Honesty
2. Work hard & Loyality
3. Help Others.

Alan Clayton

1. Stay off social media / don’t compare yourself to others. Live your own life.
2. Go to the beach / unplug frequently.
3. You control your reactions, don’t let others ‘make’ you say or do anything, so be nice to others, especially those not nice to you.

Lora Nicometo

1. Believe in God and follow his will
2. Be kind to everyone even when it may seem difficult.
3. Be honest and put forth your best effort in every endeavor in everything you do.

Mukesh Gupta

1. Be true to yourself and believe in God
2. Work very hard sincerely and enjoy every moment of life even more harder
3. Accord top priority to your own health as only you are responsible for your health…all other things are secondary.

Sourabh Dighe

1. Life is all about making the right choices, and believing in your self.
2. Never “use” anyone.
3. Never compare.

Renee Akins

1. Try to do some good
2. Show love to those you love
3. Be diligent and think for yourself. Make your decisions yours

Nilabh Sharma

1. Be content
2. Have fun
3. Quickly forget past & never think hard for future (In point 3, I wanted to emphasize on living in present and doing things right as soon as you get the chance rather than pondering on past or leaving it for future.)

Debora Terkay

1. Live with integrity,
2. courage and
3. empathy

Sovy Thompson

1. Learn from your past experiences and strive to make it better each day, live like today is your last day,
2. tell someone thank you and let them know how much you love and appreciate them, and
3. have respect for other’s without judging them

Colleen B.

1. The Golden Rule.
2. Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.
3. The greatest gift is love. Don’t be afraid to share it.

Laurie A. Weathers

1. Love God and follow Christ’ teachings.
2. Love, forgive and serve others well.
3. Love, learn and forgive yourself.

Nilavu Arasi

1. Live life either happy or sad, no matter live every moment. This too shall pass.
2. be brave to show love and kindness
3. fail, failure teaches to succeed.

Royda Frazier

1. always put God first in everything
2. cherish those around you, like they could be gone tomorrow
3. gain wisdom from your own experiences and from others

Janander Mathur

1. obviously 1st live life king size like me
2. 2nd do not forget what I thought [of] you
3. 3rd keep loving family the most

Sharon Neetal

1. Love and respect your spouse, the rest of the family will fall in place
2. Take only what you are confident of giving back [emotionally, spiritually & monetary]
3. Above all- have faith in yourself and in God

Janet K. Conklin

1. Appreciate the little things in life as well as the big
2. Always believe in yourself and your dreams no matter what / don’t let people discourage you or put you down
3. Cherish your family and spend quality time traveling and enjoying time together!

Nolan Hetz

1. Don’t accept ‘No’ or ‘Can’t do that’ for an answer.
2. Look forward immediate while you learnt your last lesson
3. Being a Pollyanna is not bad as long as you do the first two well!

Victoria (Tory) Tyra

1. Respect,
2. commitment,
3. forgiveness

Penny Davis

1. be honest
2. be compassionate
3. love unconditionally

Brandon Gould

1. LOVE (courageously)
2. EXPLORE (humbly)
3. SERVE (compassionately)

Kapil S.

1. Don’t expect anything from anyone because expectations is the reason of sorrow. Believe yourself and god.
2. Take care of your body via proper food and excercise etc because good health is the first root of happiness.
3. Split your income like this : Donate 20 % of your income for good works, save 15% of your income for future and maintain your life with remaining 65 %

Martin (Marty) Gutkin

1. Be patient
2. Be kind
3. Let your mind rule your body, not vice versa

Amber Rainey

1. See people as human beings first and then consider their flaws as a part of human nature
2. The little things do count . The bigger picture matters most when the little things have been accounted for
3. Find your biggest strengths and use them to work on your biggest weaknesses . This is where success lies.

Maura Gori

1. You are creating your own reality by the daily choices you are making …remind yourself: “What I feel ….I make real and what I perceive I conceive.”
2. You have the power to change what You feel, you always have a choice

Ashish Damania

1. Pray and Thank God for whatever you have
2. Be positive, Love and respect all and their values and maintain good relationship
3. I have followed certain qualities, ethics and living my life fullest – I expect the same you will follow

Kelly Maia

1. Never give up from your dreams and what you love
2. Be always grateful and always find time for your loved ones
3. Don’t take things for granted

Sunita Thawani
Only two!

1. Live a life surrendered to God!
2. If you can’t, pray for it.

Tom Hutton
Slight variation on Toby’s excellent thoughts.

1. Always be kind.
2. You make your own luck.
3. Don’t be afraid to make a decision.

Julia W.

1. live a life you can be proud of/ that you love
2. be thankful and grateful
3. don’t take your loved ones for granted

Michael McAndrew

1. Make time for the people you love.
2. Lead a life of integrity.
3. Never be mean-spirited or arrogant.

Suzanne Grayson

1. Love each other,
2. forgive each other,
3. live within your means

Ashish Kotecha

1. Do what you Love
2. Spend time with your loved one
3. Be Thankful

Dana Vendedzis

1. Let it be
2. Imagine
3. In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make

Naim Chattarki

1. Believe in God.
2. Hard work is worship.
3. Identifying your strength, weaknesses to find new opportunities for minimising the threats.

Tarun Katyal

1. Enjoy the present
2. Human values
3. Values and Time with family

Namita Prasad

1. Learn to “let go.” It will enrich you to understand good and bad expiriences and make you wiser
2. You will be loved; if you have loved yourself. Be kind to yourself and so will you be kind to others.
3. You will be able to handle everything in life. The power is in your “mind.” Dare!

Deepak Rajput

Don’t run behind land, money, or girls.

Babita More

1. You have to dream before your dreams can come true-it tells about unending career path
2. It is very difficult to defeat someone but it is very hard to win someone-It tells about humanity
3. Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.-It tells about how to behave in failures

Ajitbhai Thakor

1. Enjoy each movement of time with family, friends and many more. Forget past but learn from past for better future.
2. Thanks to God for his kind help.
3. Forgive & Forget, respect to all, help who really needs, always be positive.

Thomas Brattle Gannett “Toby”

1. Always be true to yourself
2. Always be a gentleman
3. You can always tell the measure of a person by how they treat those less fourtunate when they think no one is watching.

An old family motto, “keep your eyes on the stars, your feet on the ground”

Thomas M. (Tom) Kelly

1. “Live daily,”
2. Money is a tool not the “purpose” of a life well lived,
3. I love you – love freely and often.

Bill McGuire

1. Rejoice that we have choices. Make them wisely. Own your bad choices as well as rejoicing in your good choices.
2. Cultivate an “attitude of gratitude”.
3. Give back — generously.

Anamika Saravana

1. Do not run after materialistic life and leave behind expectations.
2. Lead life along with nature
3. Do not brood on wat happened,just enjoy life as it comes.

Dilip Naik

1, 2 and 3. Never forget the in-dwelling supreme power, God, he is your ultimate guide for all matters.

Anand Mishra

1. Life is not a problem to be solved…it is a game to play and enjoy
2. Do not search happiness out side

Rahul Vaidya

1. Stay away from Politics
2. Stay away from Politics
3. Stay away from Politics

Robin T. Taylor

1. Look and trust God for guidance;
2. nevermind the naysayers;
3. you are LOVED

Anupam Goswami

1. Circumstances must not impact happiness, consciousness and self confidence.
2. Relationships and humanity weigh above materialistic benefits.
3. If you do justice and are fair to your karma you would live fearlessly and peacefully.
4. Being healthy and fit both mentally and physically is above all.
5. Earning a regular income is mandatory.
6. Value TIME.

M. Krishnakumar

1. Listen to your Soul,
2. Live your Life,
3. Be Totally Self Centered without being Selfish ….

Karla Clift

Love, love, love!

Diana L. Scherber

1. Just love-especially your kids. Dirty laundry, Cheerios on the floor, trash in the car, lost baseball games, none of that matters. Just love them.
2. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There’s a lesson in every experience. You never know until you try.
3. Follow your heart. Do what you love. Don’t let it be your only regret.

Joanna Campbell

1. Enjoy the little things in life
2. Learn to laugh at yourself
3. Being offended by others only makes you unhappy

Mohan Krishna
They are as below…

1. Never lose faith in yourself, god and humanity
2. Nothing comes easy. Everything that you desire in world comes only through shear hard work.
3. There may be days when you will not be rewarded for your best efforts. Keep going……

This has taken less than a minute. Hope I still have more than 15 mins to Live!

Roy Smythe
These are the things I already tell my children, we call them the “The Three Rules”

1. Choose your friends wisely
2. Be gentle with yourself (your body, and your mind)
3. Make good decisions (you know when they’re good) And remember that a great measure of happiness comes from doing things for others. Simply focusing on your own happiness at some point rings hollow.

Kate Piña

1. Being a good citizen is what “successful” looks like.
2. Relationships are more important than things.
3. I spent your inheritance on living my life to the fullest – you should do the same.

Bill Pupkis

What Marshall suggested.

Ellen Makar

1. Be present in the moment
2. Forgive
3. Love
4. Live near the ocean…

Jairo Cruz

1. Love yourself
2. Love people
3. Love God.

Beth Little-Terry

1. Nurture the relationships with family and your friends. There are your life’s investments.
2. Integrity cannot be compromised, always do the right thing no matter how difficult.
3. Love, kindness, respect are all gifts to bestow on all humans and animals in your life, they will be a source of great joy.

Mary Beth Bolton

1. Faith and trust in your higher power
2. You become like the people you spend the most time with- choose friends and colleagues wisely
3. It’s your life, there will always be those who criticize or disagree. Choose your own way and ignore the critics.

Glenn Pearson

1. Keep trusting Jesus.
2. Act with integrity in everything you do.
3. Do your best to reflect God’s love to others.

Amit Verma

1. Nurture Self Respect.
2. Learn to Say No.
3. Devote time to Family.

Dana Palka

1. Be kind
2. Visualize your dreams … and go for it
3. Forgive (yourself and others)

Deana Upton
A lot to say in 15 mins.

1. Keep in the way of God. I love you and see you in the new world.
2. You have lots of choices every day to make. Choose to by Kind!
3. Work hard for your family and care for them Spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially. (in that order)

Paula Phillips

1. Love unconditionally,
2. live fully,
3. laugh often!

Sam Waissman

1. Learn,
2. enjoy, and
3. share

Marshall Baker

1. do no harm
2. love and stay connected with God and your family
3. pursue your passion

Olena Vlasenko

1. Live happy every day no matter what’s around; find the balance between business and private life. And do what you like every day even for 10-15 minutes.
2. Don’t forget to tell Love You to people you love on a daily basis. Make your children decent people, teach them and show them how to love, to take care about themselves and bout people they love, and to be happy. Respect elderly people and always give them a place in a public place.
3. Dont cry when I am gone- I will be happy and with God. I will be watching you and helping you from above, and your tears will make me sad. I will be there with you whenever you are and whatever you do. I love you and always will no matter where I am- never forget about that please.

Chris H.

1. The truth, always
2. Leave the last one for someone else
3. Look for opportunities to let others merge

Billy Tingle

1. Do all you can to make God smile.
2. Do all you can to make your spouse smile.
3. Do all you can to make your children smile.

In that order!

Todd Mendsen

1. Work hard, play hard.
2. Smile.
3. Raise YOUR kids like the world depends on it…because it does.

Rosanna Melbran

1. Be kind,
2. be curious,
3. help others

John Wyrostek

Life is about 3 things: Something to do, Somebody to love and something to look forward to. Use your time wisely.

Adam Greenberg

1. Follow your passion, that will make you fulfilled
2. Don’t hold grudges, and give back to society. That good feeling lasts a lot longer than buying a new car, etc.
3. People make mistakes. It’s the only way we can learn. Look at them as opportunities.

*disclaimer* I do not have any children.

Ashley Forester

1. Happiness is in you-don’t rely on outside factors to determine how happy you want to be.
2. Let go of all the negatives-anger, jealousy, worry, anxiety-it will get you nowhere and it will consume you.
3. Learn to love selflessly and be compassionate to everyone.

Dale C. Hetzler

1. Clean work and “hard living” enriches your life more than you can imagine, so be unpredictable — when life is predictable it is no fun at all.
2. Be creative and engaging whenever possible. Take a new path, listen to differing opinions closely, be genuine and thoughtful, help others. Share your time freely.
3. Make the time to slow down, appreciate simple things, be modest in speaking and spending.

Laura Kiley

1. Trust your gut.
2. Don’t let anyone push you around.
3. Learn as much as you can from as many people and experiences as you can.

Marj Stanford

1. Love all peoples, especially those different from you
2. Seek the good in all things
3. Do not settle for being comfortable, challenge yourselves in all things

Mary Kay Diderrich

1. It’s never about you! Live for HIS praise and not that of man.
2. Humility is the key to contentment.
3. You are blessed to be a blessing, so share your talent!

Jan Vick Harris

1. Put God first… and everything else will fall into place.
2. Love everyone
3. Enjoy the “little things” …a beautiful sunset, smiles, your home, drinking a cup of coffee, talking with a friend, spending time with family, being kind to a stranger…. those are the things that really matter.

Purba Marik

1. Golden Rule.
2. Be zen despite the challenges.
3. Be open to change.

Ritu Ward

1. Speak your truth
2. Build Relationships
3. Be grateful for your blessings

Rene Stephenson

1. Don’t pass up an opportunity to travel and see the world.
2. Cherish every minutes you have with the ones you love
3. Remember that no one wishes for more money on their death bed, it’s always more time.

Dan Ford

1. Love God above all else.
2. Forgive readily and often.
3. Happiness is a choice.

Kathileen Boozer

1. Jesus is #1,
2. don’t chase money,
3. be happy and love others

Kerry Eaton

1. Be kind. Especially when it’s hardest.
2. Be a great listener.
3. Find work that you love to do ( at least most of the time )
4. Sorry…I need one more – keep a strong sense of humor.

Bryan Jimenez

1. Always keep God in 1st place
2. There’s more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.
3. Strive to see people not for what they are, but for what they can become. The same is true for yourself.

Tony Little

1. Love is always worth it
2. Crying is beautiful
3. Listen to understand

Richelle Scrom

1. I love you,
2. I’m proud of what you have accomplished,
3. and live each day like its your last

Elizabeth Cohn

1. Focus on increasing the love you put out in the world.
2. Be proud of your achievements.
3. Be fierce–but do it with love, admiration and respect for others.

Rebecca Mankin

1. Prioritize God, Family, then Work.
2. Live life to the fullest.
3. Be kind to everyone.

David Elmer

1. Love
2. Do good works
3. Encourage others

Dan Bonk

1. Humility,
2. compassion, and
3. courage

Jared Schultz

1. Work hard
2. Be kind
3. Trust God

Steven Cantrell

1. Learn
2. Live
3. Give Back

Patti Costello

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff it too will pass
2. Be kind always and love with all your heart
3. Money isn’t everything

Dina Cantore

1. Love God.
2. Love others as yourself.
3. Share God’s love to others.

Bill Henderson

1. faith,
2. family, and
3. love

Lisa Harrison

1. Put your trust in God to guide you
2. Never give up on pursuing your dreams
3. Everything in moderation

Rick Zollinger

1. Don’t worry—it changes nothing!
2. Love your family unconditionally!
3. Patience—learn it, love it, use it daily!!

Sadia Batool

1. Trust but avoid blind trust,
2. work hard and expect reward from god,
3. be kind for others as well as for yourself.

Rajesh Davda

1. Have faith in God or some higher power
2. The only thing in your control is you. Stop trying to control people, places and things.
3. Make time to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
4. Moments of peace and serenity are important to a happy life.

Sandy Smith

1. put God first, have a relationship with him personally
2. laugh
3. serve

Mary Greer

1. In a world [where] you can be anything, be kind.
2. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.
3. Never, ever give up.

Julie Hamilton

1. Stick to Jesus
2. Be the amazing, brilliant, precious, perfect YOU – at all times be YOU, listen to YOU, do YOU
3. Allow fun, laughter, trying new things and adventure to be the WAYS to live, not the escapes from your life

Stanford Plavin

1. Love,
2. Laugh,
3. Live

Dave Nelson

1. Choose wisely regarding your mate,
2. never stop learning,
3. don’t take yourself too seriously,
4. and take time to smell the roses (the last one is from my mother)

Ed Ethridge

1. Learn the value of silence.
2. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
3. Never, ever give up.

Diane Sinnott

1. Stay humble.
2. Take care of anyone smaller than you.
3. Never stop playing.

Donnie Parish

1. Live without fear of your dreams
2. Always do the right thing, no matter how tough
3. Love like there is no tomorrow

Jeff Sims

1. You will never look back on your life and wished you would have spent more time at work, vs. time spent with family and friends.
2. When it is all said and done, accumulate experiences and relationships, not items.
3. Live within your means, don’t worry about what someone else has.

Peter Korzenik

1. Step outside your comfort zone – take calculated risks
2. Don’t judge others
3. Don’t be afraid to dream big

Tom Dinh

1. Help others to have a successful and happy life,
2. treat others like God has been treating you,
3. with God every thing is possible.

Tom Christmann

1. Be Nice.
2. Work hard.
3. Don’t keep score.

Freda Johnson

1. Find your passion in life ,
2. do what makes you happy,
3. enjoy life each and everyday
4. find the good and focus on the positives

Stuart Dornfield

1. Accumulate good friends
2. Laugh as much as you can
3. Take care of your health

Patrick Atonna

1. Be open to love and be loved.
2. Laugh often with anyone, everyone and yourself
3. Breathe the air, smell the flowers and gaze upwards towards the heavens.

Leini Zurovec

1. Money cannot buy happiness – for happiness comes from within
2. Be honest with yourself and others
3. Communicate with compassion and understanding – perception is highly dependent on the individual.

Bob Ring

1. Always be yourself. As Dr. Suess said, “Those who matter won’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.”
2. Don’t procrastinate. If you know something needs to be done, do it now.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff. There is plenty of big stuff to keep your stress level occupied.

Shawn Sherwood

1. Have a forgiving soul
2. A loving heart
3. An inquisitive mind

Lora Davis

1. JOY is found by serving Jesus, Others, Yourself, in that order.
2. Forgive others. Holding on to offense is like drinking poison and hoping it will teach someone else a lesson.
3. Be thankful! Live life with an attitude of gratitude!

Bettie Bransfield

1. Help others and give back
2. Money does not make you happy
3. Go with your gut.

Michael Hein

1. Focus first on “being” well, than focus on “doing” well. “Put your own oxygen mask on first.” My take: Start with God.
2. Love deeply, widely, often, and indiscriminately, even if it costs you.
3. Don’t fear failure, embrace it; take risks. Life is meant to be lived.

Trent Walter

1. Family and God then work, never put work before the other two (prioritize life this way)
2. Education is the most important gift you will ever receive, no one can take it from you
3. Treat others as you wish to be treated

Laura L. Ardizzone

1. Be kind
2. Choose your battles
3. Each day is a gift and live it to the fullest – remember that when life gets you down

Laurie Prescott

1. Be generous
2. Be kind
3. Take time to enjoy the world around you

Steve Lawler

1. Have faith & trust God’s plan
2. Love deeply
3. Go for it

Debera Phinney

1. You is kind
2. You is smart
3. You is important

Vladimir Radivojevic

1. Love the Lord will all your heart and serve Him in all ways.
2. Love and serve your family and your neighbors.
3. Work hard and always give your best to everyone you serve.

Always in that order.

Ryan Walsh

1. Be kind to others…It’s good for you
2. You can’t take it with you
3. Take a chance, it’s worth it

Shiva Kumar

1. Don’t run behind money
2. laugh more, whine less
3. Satisfaction & don’t compare others with you.

Crystal Klier

1. Put yourself before others and only second to God.
2. Be kind and generous and never let anyone make you feel worthless.
3. If you must work, do what you love.

Mary Parker

1. Never to give up..
2. Be the best in whatever they find themselves doing..
3. love harder

Laticia Miller

To ask god to forgive me for all my sins

Cybil Rose

1. Confront your fears head on
2. Take chances
3. Laugh a lot

Cristin Dickerson

1. Love hard,
2. work hard,
3. be kind

Jackie Leary

1. Keep your Faith and put God first.
2. Family is only second to God
3. Help those who are less fortunate

Darryl Roberts

1. Happiness is not based on ‘stuff’ it’s internal.
2. Don’t wait until tomorrow—make now always the most precious time since now will never come again (the inner light from Star Treking)
3. Be kind.

Jon Darnell

1. Be honest
2. Be compassionate
3. Accept the things you cannot change, have the courage to change the things you can, and be wise enough to know the difference

Deanna Chernouski

1. Make time with family and friends a priority
2. Give your time, talent, and treasure to the community (civic and church)
3. Be grateful for what you have been given and what you have earned

Dan Yunker

1. Be true to yourself
2. Be true to others
3. Respect differences

Clay Holderman
Few have been there. I have. At 15 minutes, you say

1. “I love you.
2. I am proud of you.
3. Don’t be afraid.”

Marc Koch

1. Be kind,
2. Be truthful,
3. Be perseverant

Theresa West

1. Don’t just believe in God but believe God
2. Be kind even when kindness isn’t given
3. Be YOU!! Follow your passion and purpose!

Jodi Hibbard

1. Love yourself.
2. Love each other.
3. Work hard but play hard.

Emran Rouf

1. Live a purpose-driven life
2. Hardship and difficult times tested your values and work ethics; you often learn invaluable lessons from those situations.
3. You can only change yourself and not others; you could influence someone else’s behaviors at times

Amy Stiner

1. Exercise and eat organic.
2. Live your own adventure.
3. Fear is a liar. Risk tells the truth. Ignore fear and manage risk.

To be fair…I always tell him these things.

Tiffany Bergquist

1. Be kind and understanding
2. Be yourself.
3. Do what you love to do.

Ruth Thomson

1. Trust the journey
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff
3. Be kind always

Amy MacRae

1. Help others,
2. find your passion,
3. try to find true love or soul mate

Jay Besse

1. Trust God
2. Strong Family Relationships
3. Helping Others

Darla Mills

1. Have someone to love.
2. Have something to do.
3. Have something to look forward to.

Gina Stinson

1. Always look for “the good” no matter how bad things seem
2. Always seek to understand, and not to judge
3. You are loved more than words alone could ever express; above everything is love…love one another