I don't know how I could go through life without having the love and support of my friends and family. All of life's journeys take place in the context of relationships, and our ability to be successful in life depends on how we respond to, reciprocate and react to the people around us. All positive relationships must be based on unselfishness. It isn't about what you get from others - it is what you give. I have seen this to be true in my marriage, being a mother, a teacher, and a leader. We are accountable for guiding, supporting, loving, teaching and lifting the lives of others around us. Sometimes while we are in the midst of a trial, it is easy to only focus on ourselves and how hard life can be. However, the best way to overcome feelings of sorrow, anger, guilt, despair or stress, is to find someone who needs our love and kindness - and serve them.
My husband, James, is my biggest support, my best friend, and the love of my life. We've been married for 21 years and he has always put my needs above his own. I have seen many of my friend's and family's marriages struggle because one partner will focus on what makes them happy, rather than what makes their partner happy. I think we do a great job supporting each other and bringing balance to each other. James is in the military and is also a police officer. There have been many times when he has been called away in duty, and I have been a single parent. It is extremely hard to be a single parent and muddle through the rigors of daily life alone, but I support his job as he supports mine. He will pitch in with housework, kid's homework, and all the household duties to allow me time to work or study. When he has free time, he is always wanting to be with me and our children. We have faced many difficult challenges together - cancer, military activations, death of loved ones, financial difficulties, job stress, etc... our life is far from perfect, but together we can overcome our challenges and we have many more joyous times than hard times!
My children bring me my greatest joy! They don't let me take life too seriously and make me laugh! I am so proud of them - they are smart, kind and are so fun to be around. Nothing in this world is more important to me than my family. :)
Theresa Creel is my amazing early childhood leader and mentor. She has worked in early childhood for over 25 years and is an international advocate for children's rights, as well as the Administrative Director for Childcare Services with Intermountain Healthcare. I have learned so much from her deep compassion and love for others. She is an incredible leader and mentor, always striving for excellence in everything she does. I appreciate her encouragement, example and friendship. It is nice to be able to learn from such a wonderful person who has lived through the same leadership challenges that I am currently going through! I trust and respect her advice, and continue to prove myself equally trustworthy by always striving to do what is best for the children in my care. She is my Yoda! ;)
All relationships take work! In my roles as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, teacher, student, employee and leader, I have learned many important lessons that have helped me to foster good relationships (and some that I continue to work on everyday): You have to listen more than you speak, you have to give more than you take, you have to treat others with respect and compassion, you have to be willing to solve problems and look for compromises, you have to be kind and flexible, you have to be willing to apologize and admit when you make a mistake, you need to always assume good intent and suspend judgement until you have all the facts, you have to open to new experiences, you have to admit that you don't know everything and have much to learn, you have to allow love and concern for others to come first! I'm sure there are many other life lessons I have forgot to include and will continue to learn. Thus - relationships are continually growing and require on-going commitment from all contributors! We will continually need to stop and reflect what we can do more to influence our positive relationships!
