Advice

At Caroline's promotion ceremony her principal spoke and gave some great advice.  I love what she said and I want Caroline to always remember it.  I'm not really one for taking notes (never have been actually), but I wrote down the points she made because I loved them so much:

• The sooner you stop caring what others think the better off you will be.  There will always be people who don't like you or don't like what you are doing.  Make sure you are living the way you should be living and don't worry about what everyone else thinks.
• Pick your friends carefully because they will get you through middle school.  I should add that having good friends will get you through high school, college, and just about everything you face in your life.  Find friends that make you want to be better than you are, but love you exactly as you are.
•  If your parents don't like your friends, think about it carefully.  See above--Your parents have known you for your entire life and want you to be your best.  Just because they don't like your friends doesn't mean you have to get rid of them, but make sure you think about it before you give that person a lot of influence in your life.
• It is to early for you to know what you want to be when you grow up.  But it isn't too soon for you to know the KIND of person you want to be.  Start working towards being that person right now.
• Start every day thinking that today is the first day of the rest of your life.  It is never too late to set new goals, work harder, try something new, change who you are.  

  Love this advice.  If I had to give Caroline one piece of advice to take with her, my advice would be:

• Stay close to your Savior.  He understands everything you are going through and loves you no matter how many mistakes you make.  Even when I can't be there with you, He is there and waiting to help you.