When I was younger, everything seemed so important and urgent.  The older I get, the more I understand how precious the little things in life are:  a quiet cup of tea or coffee on your patio in the early morning; holding hands and walking with a loved one; eating your favorite food for a meal; having the time to pray and spend with the Lord.

I saw the list below in a magazine and wanted to share it with you.  The author is unknown but the list is wonderful so feel free to share it to anyone…and maybe post some of your own simple rules in the comment below for others to see!

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Action Plan 

Simple Rules for Life:

1. 1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Marry someone you love to talk to.  As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

3. Don’t believe all you hear, or spend all you have or sleep all you want.

4. When you say, “I love you,” mean it.

5. When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye. And mean it.

6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.

9. Love deeply and passionately.  You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question that you don’t want to answer, smile sweetly and say, “Why do you ask?”

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Say “God Bless You” when you hear someone sneeze.

16. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

17. Remember the three R’s:  Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

18. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

19. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

20. Smile when picking up the phone.  The caller will hear it in your voice.

21. Spend some time alone.

I like these rules.  But, I feel that the author left some important ones out as these below.

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Manna from Heaven 

The most important rules we should ever keep are the ones that Jesus said were the most important commandments: 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   Matthew 22: 37-40 

If we could just remember to keep these two, our lives would be transformed.

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Emotional Check-Up 

One of the greatest emotions is love.  When we begin to give love to others as well as receive love, our emotional health will be stong!  That’s why God calls us to “love one another”.  For when we do, our anger, bitterness, hostility, jealousy, selfishness, self-centeredness, bad moods, etc. will soon disappear.

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Healthy Fit-Fact 

Loving parents = happier lives for babies!  Studies show babies who begin their lives with a sense of well-being become happier children, and eventually happier adults.  Bonding with your newborn is important.  Easy ways to accomplish this are simply meeting a child’s needs when he is hungry, scared or tired.  Soothing voices, plenty of cuddle time, and eye contact is great.  And even though he might not understand what you are saying he will feel secure and loved.

I pray that as you go about your week, you begin to love and show love to everyone you meet.