Wednesday, June 19, 2013

42 things I have leanred in 42 years about life.

 today I turn 42. The way I figure it, life is only starting for me... right?? RIGHT? Here's 42 things life taught me:
 
1. Life sucks sometimes. But I am stronger than i thought i am.
2. I love soda (water) and lemon. Having it with a friend is even better.
3. Friends make life worthwhile
4. I would rather have 1 sincere friend than a 100 insincere ones.
5. Giving is better than receiving.
6. If you don't make peace and quite an active pursuit, it will always elude you.
7. Sleep with a clean conscious is the best sleep.
8. Worry brings you no where.
9. Your life dream is closer to who you are than you think.
10. Having an awesome photographer as a friend is a win-win. (all the above pictures are by THE amazing Ms Van Steelandt)
11. Be the person you want your children to be.
12. Speaking your truth is fundamental to who you are and who you become.
13. Do not compromise your truth and what you believe in.
14. Fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
15. We are not raising children, we are raising adults.
16. Teach your children early on that you love them whether they are good or bad
17. Let your child's character get more accolades from you than their achievements.
18. Be honest. Mostly, be honest with yourself.
19. Learn to be alone. Love being by yourself.
20. Listen to classical music. Just because.
21. Nothing says it better than the Afrikaans language. Verseker.
22. Listen to music loud. And yes, dance when no one watches.
23. If you ask why, the answer is ALWAYS "because i love you."
24. You become your predominant thoughts.
25. Coffee makes mornings better.
26. Do not be afraid of emotion. Let it out.
27. When you feel pain, FEEL the pain. Do not numb. Breath through it.
28. A friend you can trust with your life is more worth than all the gold in the world.
29. Be sincere. Do something when it's in your heart. Or not, if it's not in your heart.
30. You simply cannot say "i love you" enough to the people you love.
31. You can never ever overestimate God's grace, love and sacrifice for you.
32. Living a creative life is one of the most rewarding lives you can live.
33. Give the gift of yourself.
34. Read Proverbs often. It's better to learn from understanding than through pain.
35. This too shall pass... the wheel turns... live goes on.
36. Your present will become the past that shows up in your future. What you do with today is crucial.
37. Read Psalm 37. It's awesome. And in the Message translation it's even better.
38. Journal your thoughts and gratitude. Even if it's just a few sentences every day
39. Just keep swimming.
40. Don't wish your children big. It happens all too fast
41. Go after a life of love as if your life depend on it. Because it does.
42. Thank you for reading my blog and lighting a candle for me today.

as a gift to me... tell me one thing that life has taught you.

Smiles, love and a kiss...
Wilna Furstenberg
iheartblog

43 comments :

Hagit said...

Happy birthday! I enjoy your blog and artwork, and enjoyed reading these as well :) The one thing I can think of right now is, "smile, and the world will smile back!" Works most of the time! ;-))

Maria said...

COngrats Wilna!!!! Have a nice day!!!! Kisses from Barcelona :)

NOa said...

Happy birthday, wish you happiness and health!

Katharina Frei said...

happy birthday! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I loved reading them and seeing alot of my own ones :)
Katharina x

Jennifer Rogers said...

Happy Birthday from South Africa. Wait: according to No. 21, that should be Gelukkige verjaarsdag!

ingrid said...

Baie baie geluk met jou verjaarsdag, Wilna! Mag jy regtig die liefde van ons Vader vandag, en altyd, beLEEF!! Mal oor jou wyshede. Soos ek al baie vir jou gesê het, jy verwoord sooo wat in my eie hart is! 2 goed wat die lewe my geleer het: Die Here weet altyd die beste, en die huweliksverhouding is die belangrikste verhouding in die gesin! Liefde - ingrid

sa_homespun / Michelle van Wyk said...

Happy Birthday Wilna..
Life has taught me that no matter what, you cannot please all the people all the time ! So please yourself !

Have a super day ! Hugs Mich

Karin said...

Happy Birthday and have a great day !
Thank you for your wonderful blog and creations. There are a great source of inspiration for me.

Janna Werner said...

Happy Birthday, dear Wilna.
One thing life taought me:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade :)

Hugs
Janna

becky said...

Happy Birthday dear Wilna! YOU are an amazing person and I am so thankful that you share who you are! Love your list, it really speaks of your authenticity. Love you much friend!

jessica - craftychicgirl said...

happy birthday! so many wonderful things on your list..i need to incorporate some into my life!

andrea gibson said...

Happy Birthday Wilna!!!! This is a great list! I have learned that there are a lot of good, genuine people in the world. You just have to seek them out and surround yourself with them and eliminate the negative.

Carla Crosby said...

Happy Birthday!

In my life i have found that God gives you peace beyond the scope of our understanding through the hard times and in the measure that you believe is the measure that you can receive from Him.

Laura C said...

Hello and Happy Birthday Wilna!

What a beautiful list!

My life is teaching me to work very hard to "see" God's provision and grace especially in the "desert". No complaining about the manna :) It has made me such a happier, more joyful person and my appreciation of God's tenderness and care has grown exponentially.

Have a great day!

Ella Swan said...

Hi Wilna :) Happy Birthday! I've learnt that there are no shortcuts to success but that we can all have a measure of it if we are tenacious. Some are just more talented than others so some need to work more than others and perhaps achieve less - but we need to be happy in all circumstances yet still strive for what we really want, as long as we believe it really can happen & is not unrealistically unachievable.

Unknown said...

Life has taught me to trust myself and be myself. There is no better happiness than loving who you are. Happy day to you sweet Wilna!! xoxo

Gina200 said...

Happy Birthday Wilna! I wish I could meet you in person...from reading your blog, you are someone I know I would like to be with. Enjoy your day

Yura said...

Someone told me once to always speak the truth and be true to myself....Thanks Wilna for being such a great friend and person. Happy happy to you ! Xxx Yura

Danielle Higginbottom-Brown said...

Have a happy birthday Wilna! May all your wishes come true.....
Life has taught me, be you... "don't ever let anyone dull your sparkle"...if they are toxic, let them go

Unknown said...

God has taught me some hard lessons through adversity. The most important one, I think, is that we do not have any control over our own life. Rather, God is in sole charge. Though I still have difficulty many times, I have learned to trust in God's will for me!

Ana said...

Happy birthday from Brazil!!! Life has taught me that our children grow up too fast. So we better enjoy every moment we have with them!!! Love your layouts!!!

Amy Scalze (happy2create) said...

Happy birthday! Thank you so much for the wonderful gift of sharing all of these great nuggets! To be honest, I am still working on this, but am learning that letting go of what others think = happier and healthier me.

maryna said...

my lesson learnt is actually more the song of my heart.. where ever i'm heading God has already been there, He is there & He knows i can handel it... so I trust Him with my 2morrow...

Linda said...

I hope you had a lovely birthday and my lesson is ... I am ME wether fat or thin, and if people judge by appearances then bad luck to them.

Trine Brandt-Lassen said...

Congrats and thank you for a very inspirational blog post! I have learned many of the same things :-) Mostly life has taught me that everything always happen for the best. Even if it doent's seen like it at first, there is always somethings good or better awaiting around the corner. Trust this and go look for it :-)

caro said...

Read Psalm 37 last night. Thanks for the reminder, it was an answer to a big question I'm in the middle of. Happy Birthday.

Teddi said...

happy birthday darling wilna! what you share inspires many, much love.

Ashley Calder said...

A very happy (and now a day belated) birthday to you, Wilna!

Michelle said...

Happy belated birthday Wilna, I hope you had an amazing day. Your art is amazing and I love that your love of life and your family comes through in every piece you create. One thing I have learned is that LOVE is paramount. As in Christ's life, it must be in everything you do. With out it is easy to get bogged down in the nitty gritty of life and miss all of the amazing things out there.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Wilna! The Serenity Prayer has never steered me wrong...but I have another quote that inspires me now..."she thought she could, so she did."

Meghann Andrew said...

Happy birthday! Life has taught me that hard times make you stronger!

Jen Schow said...

Happy Birthday! The more you share, the more I admire you! You are an amazing woman! I have learned that little, seemingly meaningless moments, are the moments that make up our lives and who we are. It is important to BE IN those moments. Soak them in.

Katie Scott Scrapbooking said...

What a great list, I need to make another layout like that on a layout sometime soon - thanks for the inspiration.

Unknown said...

What a great list and I too love reading a Proverb a day, first thing in the morning to get us off to a great start... Happy belated birthday!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! I absolutely love watching your videos and enjoy reading your blog. Life has taught me to be in the moment, thanks for sharing your list ;-)
Yasmin

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! Thanks for shating this great list.

ziska said...

Veels geluk met jou verjaarsdag! Ek is 'n Afrikaanse scrapper van Johannesburg wat so trots is op jou! Een lewensles wat ek geleer het is om altyd met integriteit te leef. Jou denke (gedagtes), woorde en dade moet altyd saamstem - dis die sleutel tot vrede en geluk!

Magali said...

The best thing life taught me is that even worse moments in life have their positive part.

Unknown said...

I h ave learned to give thanks for all things - even the hard things. Happy Birthday!

Lyn said...

Happy Birthday Wilna! I love your creativity, style and blog! And one of your previous posts awhile ago answered a question that I had been asking for the past 10 years but no one had an answer until I stumbled onto your post. Thank you so much for posting it.

Have the best birthday ever! Muah!

Jeanne said...

Happy belated birthday Wilna!
I really love your work and your style of scrapbooking and art.

I learn that being thankful of everything you got can make you feel rich, instead of envying what other has.
And that mistakes can be forgiven sometimes, but the scar remains.. so that we should be more careful in everything we say or do (at least think twice!) :D

Hope your birthday was a blast!

AJ said...

42 years young, Happy birthday Wilna. Life has taught me that you should never give up on your dreams - always believe in yourself. Xx

Mónica said...

I know I´m late but I just can´t miss the oportunity to wish you happy birthday on the 42nd comment to this post! ;D

Something life has taught me? urgent things are not always the most important things!

Hope you had a very happy Bday!