Introduction


I have written this book as a collection of advice for my
daughter. Although some may not agree with everything I
have to say, the ideas contained herein are what I stand for,
what was passed on to me by my parents and grandparents
and what I would like to convey to my daughter and other
children as well.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "If I were to read, much less
answer all my critics, I might as well close up shop. In the
end, if I have been right, it will not matter and if I have
been wrong, ten angels swearing I was right will not make
a difference."

My heartfelt desire is that the following pages will give
the reader new perceptions and thought provoking insights
to enable him or her to have the courage to take a stand and
to create. My hope is that some of these ideas will help you
find and achieve a loving relationship with your children
and others that is built on moral purpose, strength and
commitment.

When you take a stand or form a belief system and others
tell you that you cannot do this, they simply mean that they
cannot do it themselves; and, therefore, you cannot do it.
Ignore these sluggish minds, for just as their thoughts and
deeds are not maturing or producing the results they want
and need your thoughts and deeds are moving ahead at an
unstoppable pace. Let no one rob you of your intentions
and standards or seduce you into their path of thinking.

When you have ideals, goals, meaning, contented
thoughts of a purposeful living and a faithful inner peace
and happiness... Congratulate yourself, because for that
period of time you have removed yourself from the living
dead.

Intention stealers come in all shapes and sizes. By
intention, I do not mean it as a fantasy or imaginary way of
being, but rather a confident conviction that you are
conscious of and live by accordingly. My hope is that the
meaning you choose for you and your family is one that
would please God and leave no room for doubt from those
that are around you.



Opening Day

My dearest Abigail:

Words cannot begin to express the joy and contentment
that I felt on that first day of June 1996 when the doctor
delivered you from your mother. At that precise moment, I
realized that God had "loaned" you to us and now it was up
to your mother and I to raise you in a manner that was
pleasing to God. Your mother and I were given you only
through the GRACE (your middle name) of our Lord and
Savior.

As I held you in my arms that day and the days and nights
to follow, I knew that no matter what was going on in the
world around us that you were and are "our precious little
girl." Although the events that occurred in the few precious
moments of the beginning of your life were sometimes
trying, we knew that you were cradled not only in our arms,
but also in the arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Please know that we take the responsibility of raising you
with Christ as a very serious matter and will do all that is
possible to make sure that goal is accomplished. You may
not always agree with our point of view, but we only want
what is best for you. With the assistance of our Master, we
know that together as a family we can accomplish all
things.

WELCOME TO THIS WORLD

As time moves on (and at times it seems to move too
quickly!), your goals will become our goals; your dreams
will become our dreams, just as your concerns will become
our concerns. That is the delight and awesome
responsibility of being a parent. We will be there to laugh
and cry with you and to talk with you and to become your
"soul-mate" and "best friend" through the guidance and
direction of Christ. There will never be anything that you
cannot bring to us as parents. We will always be there for
you.

We will share your smiles and laughter and dry your tears
in times of trouble. We will voice our concern if and when
we need to do so. We will endeavor to bring you up in a
way that is pleasing to God. We will train you and teach
you the upright ways that we have been taught. We will
help you live and attain a good, moral life. We will share
our experiences (good and bad) with you in the hopes that
you can learn from our experiences. We will continue to
pray for you each and every day. We will rely on God to
show us what he would have us do and pray that he shows
you this also.

When you are grown and have a family of your own, we
want our daughter to look back at her upbringing and be
able to say, just as Jesus will say to us, "Well done my
good and faithful servant." It is our sincere hope that this
will carry and help you in your later years. We love you
very much and there is not a thing in this world that can
keep us from striving to reach this goal.

WE LOVE YOU AND GOD LOVES YOU
WE CHERISH YOU AND GOD CHERISHES YOU
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU AND GOD IS THERE
FOR YOU

Love,

Mom & Dad