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The Test of Time

The past few days I have spent with my two sons, savoring the end of summer.  We played at the pool, enjoyed yummy yogurt sundaes and buzzed about town doing back to school shopping.  You should have seen how long the receipt was!!  It wasn't all fun and games, though.   I enforced my policy of making sure the rooms are clean and backlog of papers cleared from desks and backpacks (and my inbox) before the first bell rings.  That means it was time to dive deep into those paper bags filled with all the projects and papers the teachers didn't dare throw away at the end of last year.
 
Why now, you ask?  Why didn't I do that sooner?  Well, there was no way I was digging into that at the start of summer vacation.  More paperwork was the last thing on my mind.  Then things got busy with summer camps and summer visitors...you know how it goes.  Before I knew it August was here and guess what?  By then, I couldn't wait to see what timeless treasures I'd be saving for posterity.

I was reminded that last year was a good year.  Among my favorite lessons saved: my 6th grader learned about Greek mythology and my 3rd grader learned what life was like when settlers first moved to California in the 1850s.  It was his "antiqued" little notebook that inspired my blog today...it was filled with sayings he memorized and has been spouting ever since.  I love 'em!  The irony is that they are so old....but still so very applicable to today.These little gems, along with the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" hold so many keys to life.

I thought I'd share some of them with you, to see what you think:

"Success is failure turned inside out....the silver tint of the clouds of doubt...and you never can tell how close you are....it may be near when it seems afar. So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit. It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit."

"Never do anything by halves."

"We must make hay when the sun shines."
 

 

"Do right then you will not fear anybody."

 

"Never be afraid to do good but always fear to do evil."
"Might does not make right."
 
 

If only we'd all remember them far beyond 3rd grade....

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