E Culbertson

“As we were wrapping up the book, I sat down and thought about all the lessons I’d learned over the past two years. I couldn’t list them all, but here are a few:

Never complain about the price of a gift from your spouse--accept it with love and gratitude. You can’t put a price on romance.

Take lots of videos, even of the mundane. You will forget the sound of your children’s voices and you will miss your youth as much as theirs.

Celebrate every wedding anniversary.

Make time for dates. Hug your spouse every single morning. And always, ALWAYS, say “I love you.”

Believe in your partner.

When you hit hard times as a couple, take a weekend away or at least a night out. The times that you least feel like doing it are likely the times that you need it the most.

Write love notes to your spouse, your children, and keep the ones they give you.

Don’t expect a miniature pig to be an “easy” pet.

Live life looking forward with a goal of no regrets, so you can look back without them.

Be the friend you will need some day.

Often the most important thing you can do for another person is just showing up.

Question less and listen more.

Don’t get too tied up in your plans for the future. No one really knows their future anyway.

Laugh at yourself, and with life.

People don’t change their core character.

Be humble, genuine, and gracious.

Before you get into business with someone, look at their history. Expect them to be with you for the long haul, even if you don’t think they will be. If they aren’t someone you could take a road trip across the country with, don’t do business with them in the first place.

Real families and real sacrifices live in the fabric of the Red, White, and Blue; stand for the national anthem.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
― William Arthur Ward

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
― Maya Angelou

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh