Tries.

When your older... or now even... I want you hoolies to remember that trying is important. It's how we know if something works or not. Try at everything... if you don't try you will never know if it was worth it or not. Tries are how we decide if something is our passion. If people never tried something knew we wouldn't have the glorious world of technology... cars... bicycles... telephones... you get the picture. Well, it's important to me that when you are in a situation to try something new; something that is a good, a perfect, an I-won't-regret-this-my-mommy-would-be-proud thing, please try it. Now, don't take this Holy Grail of information to try and use against me one day; there are things in life I don't want you to try; things that will put you in bad situations, things that would probably make my skin crawl, things that would break my heart... those things, those things you'll know are not appropriate and shouldn't be tried... they shouldn't be tried because you are being raised to make choices that you are proud of. Choices that you would be proud to say, "yes I did that" with your head high. I hope that when you encounter the new tries that life will present to you that you will consider two things, "Will I hold my head high afterward? and Will I proudly tell my parents?" If you cannot answer "Yes" to those questions than it's not something you should try.

Tries that I hope you do one day... love with entire being-- this is how I knew I loved daddy with all my heart. Dancing without fear! Walk in the rain and enjoy the moment. Go to college. Find your passion. Follow your dreams. Get the most out of every day. Make choices that not only benefit you but will benefit others. Volunteer. Help people in need. Do something dare-devil'ish -- like bungee jump or go on a big roller coaster. Try to play an instrument and a sport of some kind. The list of possibilities of "tries" are endless so I'll stop here... but know that I will always be proud of you if you just try. It's not about whether you succeed or not; it's about the try that matters. xo