Things My Grandmother Taught Me

*Life has a lovliness to offer. You just have to look in unexpected places. And unexpected people.
*Sometimes, the most important part of a song is the silence between the words.
*You don't have to actually know how to play the guitar, just as long as you hold it with some
integrity. "Like Elvis".
*It doesn't matter that it is being sung in a language that you don't understand, as long as it
sounds like they mean it.
*Courage isn't always this bold, daring force. Sometimes it's having the guts to try again.
*Nothing you do to a potatoe can make it taste bad.
*You are never too old to have "Hop on Pop" read to you.
*It is okay to need someone with a strength you didn't know you had.
*It's ok to cry when you're sad, and get angry when you're angry.
*In the end, it all works out. (trust me. its true)
*"If you don't like the way things are being handled, get off your ass, and change them!"
*Understanding doesn't come with age. It comes with experience. And just because you are
young, does not give them the right to tell you you don't understand.
*River-dancing is a great sollution to every problem.
*There is nothing more beautiful then smiling Irish eyes.
*A sence of style is TOTALLY relative.
*Dreaming is NOT, under ANY surcumstance, a waste of time.
*Anything can be done, as long as you believe it can.
*You can't actually fly holding an umberella, and jumping out of a window.
*"You've gotta sing, Ashleigh. That's the only way the rest of 'em will ever understand you."
*"You've got to get on a plane atleast twice in your life. Once for the ride to Greace, where you
plan on spending the rest of your life, and one for the ride home, when the Agean Sea rises
alittle too high for you to handle on your own."
*It is ok to be a girl, even if they don't expect it.
*Spaghetti could possibly be a cure for cancer.
*Never doubt the powers of fudge in a strong freezer.
*Accidentally ordering something in Spanish, at a McDonalds restarunt, may seem humiliating
at the time, but makes for amazing conversation starters later.
*Never doubt that little voice inside of you, when it sounds like your grandmother saying, "Go
for it, kiddo."
*Sometimes, you just need to cross that seemingly huge distance between the beach, and the
waterline, and put your feet in the waves. Even if the water is really cold. And the waves are
really high. (oh, the meanings to that one)
*And the big one: It is okay to be afraid. Fear is not something to be ashamed of. It is something
to be respected, and admired. And it is okay to admit when you are afraid. It is okay to fall into
loving arms, and hide there until you feel safe again. You can close your eyes, if you don't want
to have to stare your fears down. But don't keep them closed for long. Because then you miss
things. Important things. Like all the little signs the universe hands you, trying to tell you that
everything WILL BE OKAY. That forever may seem so real. But really, nothing is forever. No
one is with you forever, but no-one is lost, or gone forever either. Love is not a waste of time,
because if it is real, it will never leave you. No matter how long the miles might stretch, or how
many the years might add up. It will always be there, living in the place that kindled it in it's
youth. Your heart. And you know what's really funny? She wasn't even here when she taught
me that one.
ACE 4/14/2008