5. Don’t Be Holier than Thou.

(Or, Messages from an Imperfect Messenger.)

Something I wanted to get out there right away is that I don’t want to come off as “holier than thou.” To act like I have it all together when I don’t would directly contradict some of the advice dispensed in the lessons to follow.

We fight. We have disagreements. We don’t keep as clean of a house as we should. Our weeks can be chaotic, and our patience can sometimes wear thin. We don’t always put big rocks first, or schedule things we want in our life immediately.

But, of course, that doesn’t stop the love. In fact, perhaps it even enhances it—because we see one another, warts and all, and we still accept each and every one. It’s one of the greatest gifts in life to completely, totally be yourself and still know you’re loved and supported.

So please know that this advice isn’t meant to come from a pedestal. It’s more from the day-to-day trenches—and, of course, from the heart .

It’s important to keep in mind that everyone struggles. No matter who it is, how successful they seem, they have their bad moments, and their life is usually vastly different than it appears from the outside looking in. This is especially true in the Facebook age, when the highlights are shouted from the rooftops, and often the lowlights are barely whispered and left out of public view.

So please know that our family is always a work in progress. All families are.

And thank you for reading these lessons. Really, I’m overwhelmed that you want to hear what I have to say.