Priorities

Watching television last night my oldest daughter called to me and asked me to come to the computer. This is not a surprise for me because my 12 year old daughter spends most of her free time either reading or being online. The good thing is that she loves to read and spends most of her weekend engrossed in a good book. The bad thing is her room is a pit and she could really care. I guess thats bad for me but for her its a bonus because she gets to lay around and read. She is a very smart child and I truly cant find fault with reading. Even when she is online she spends her time in HotTopic.com deciding on what she wants for Christmas or on Iconator making new icons to share with her friends. All in all she is a great child.
Last night her assignment from one of her classes was to list her top 5 priorities in her life and say why she picked them. I was amazed at what I read. This also caused me to think about a list like that I may have created at 12 and how that list has changed over the years.
My Top 5
1. My Children - Nothing means more to me than my children. They are the center of my life and I do everything I can for them. I hope they grow up and lead happy, responsible lives. I often times need far more patience than I have with them, but I do what I can with what I know.
2. My Health - A lot of you will laugh when you read this because you tell me all the time that I dont take care of myself. That is true and that has begun to really bother me. I have made a committment to do better for me. I run and I eat well but it is not enough and I need to bring the focus back on me. It is going to be hard because I have learned that I am a "pleaser." I like to make others happy and often times it comes at self sacrifice.
3. My Family - This is not only my immediate family but also my extended family. Things at home in Mass are rough right now for a lot of people and I ache because I cant be there to help out. My Mother dedicated most of her life to me to be sure I was well taken care of and not picked on etc... She did everything she could so that I would lead a"normal" life and not let a birth defect defeat my chances. Now I am not there for her and it is hard.
4. My Friends - I have some really good friends and I love them. My experiences with them have shaped who I am today. To my best friend all I can say is that with you I spent some of the best times of my life. You aggrevate the living daylights out of me and most of them time on purpose but with that said, I still love ya. To my new friends, I say thank you because you have made living in Texas more bearable. You have been there for me when I had no one else to turn to here.
5. God - Although I dont practice my religion, which is Catholic, I have a deep faith. I believe in God and I believe that we all have a purpose. I believe everything happens for a reason and that we are here to do our best. I have come to a point in my life that I want to give back and make a difference. I really would like to volunteer in the Austin Children's Hospital. I have given it a lot of thought and I think its time.
Well I thank my daughter for the inspiration for this blog today. Her number 1 on her list was God. I found that odd because she is 12 and she is not a religious person. I also felt good about that too. Did I say I had great kids!!!