Carpe Diem or Seize the Day!

This is a letter to my unborn child. It is like a “Message to the Future” letter I would include in my decorative Baby Time Capsule, for her to open and read when she grows up. When she opens her own Baby Time Capsule, I hope she finds inspiration in this letter, and looks forward to reading the rest of the letters I will include. Also she can reminisce about what life was like when she was born, while reading the letters, as she finds her favorite teddy bear from her childhood in the Baby Time Capsule, or other nostalgic items. you too, can write a similar letter to your unborn child or blessed baby now, with a Baby Time Capsule from www.timecapsule.com.

“Message to the Future”

Dear future child,

I want to name you Trinity. I am a woman who has made mistakes, but feels like I have also been taught to give my all in everything I do. I want to be able to pass that lesson in life on to you too. It is hard to do that when you have not gotten pregnant yet. It hurts, as we keep trying. I have seen years of great lessons my parents have taught my brothers and I and now I want to have a baby to pass on these lessons to you.

I am just writing and thinking out loud about all my thoughts in this moment, to let you know what life is like for me right now. Sometimes we get so busy in life that we do not stop to think about how today will affect our future. I know as my future child, I want you to understand what life is really like at this time in my life, so you know what to expect yourself. I do not want you to one day wonder what it was life for your mother when she was trying to get pregnant. I do not want you to not feel like you knew your real mother, even during her dull days of life. All days are important, because the boring times can even shape who you are by what you do in your spare time. Some lessons in life I would like to pass on to you are:

• Never take one day for granted. You never know what will happen from day to day in your life.
• Always keep learning and surround yourself by those who are wiser than you.
• Do not ever put anyone down. We are all humans and make mistakes. Instead, help someone who may be being bullied or struggling.
• Try to make learning fun, when you do not understand something. It helps you remember what you are learning, and encourages you to learn more.
• Do not ever give up. Nothing is accomplished by giving up on projects, school, work, or life.
• Spend more time with your family and friends, instead of worrying about “keeping up with the Joneses.”

• Help others in life. You grow more financially, mentally, and emotionally when you serve others and walk with integrity and empathy.
• Preserve your memories to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Find ways to keep your family traditions alive. That is what helps families continue to bond together, now matter how many generations apart.
• Do what you love. Be able to wake up each morning and say, “I cannot wait to go to work.” When you love what you do, it is not just a “job.”
• Keep like minded people around you to motivate, tell you the truth, and guide you to better your life.
• Whatever happens in the future social media wise, keep your nose clean. You never know who is watching. Not only are you representing yourself, but you are representing me and your dad as your family and how you were taught as well. Represent us all well.
• Treat yourself and your body with love. Take care of your own self-esteem. You can only keep giving to others, as long as you keep giving to yourself.
• Remember to keep a journal or blog for your future child. I could go on and on, but I will add more as I continue to get the strength to blog to you.

Sometimes it is hard to share your heart. Sometimes it is hard to keep giving of yourself when you do not feel you are being given back to. Sometimes you have to do things you do not want to do. Do everything with 110% effort. Live as if each day is your last.

I love you and cannot wait to write my next letter to you.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie (mommy)

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Photo from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/259590365997148768/

Where do you think you will be in 5, 10, 20 years from now? Who will you marry? Will you have children? What college will you go to? What will your career be? These are just a few questions we and our friends or family can make predictions about in a Message to the Future letter.

A selfie seems to be the new autobiography. Why not keep your selfie pictures and other mementos in a time capsule, along with a message to the future letter to yourself about where you think you will be in life, in the future. What would your future self think of you? Are you still the same? Have you grown up to be more mature, or are you still as crazy as you were when you were younger?

When I was a kid, I remember telling my parents I wanted to be an ice skater, with a horse rider, with a teacher, with a movie star or singer, with ….. I had big dreams as a kid. What did you want to be when you were little? My how things change and mold us as we grow. For inquiring minds who want to know, I ended up being a private practice counselor, and now an entrepreneur or business woman. I thank my parents for being one of the greatest influences in my life career. What do you want to be when you grow up?

What would you say to your future self?

I know you have been through a lot. I hope you have been able to see most of your bucket list dreams at least once. Be humble. Inspire others and follow your heart. Work like you love it. I hope you are married now. I hope you are still in school. Were you as kind as you could have been? If not, have you been making up for it. Be thankful. Everything happens for a reason. I hope you have gone far in life. Good job and what is next in life. I am not sure what to expect, and to be real, I am scared. I have surrounded myself with strong, wise friends and accountability partners in life. Watch this inspirational video of a teacher who took on this project for his students.

How do you hope you will change in the future?

You may be insecure, lack confidence, or feel behind in some areas of your life. A message to your future letter, can help you have goals to strive for. When we write things down, we are more likely to follow them. How will you do next year, or 20 years from now? How will you be different, in a more positive way? Will others say, “you have come so far.” Do you now believe in yourself again, in the future? What achievements have you made? What are you known for now, versus the past? The moment of truth is up to you. Write your message to the future letter today and save it in a time capsule, to open and read years later. Get a message to the future letter or time capsule from http://www.timecapsule.com. You could even save the letter in a Wedding Time Capsule, for you and your wife to read on the day of your marriage. Then start all over as a couple, and re-fill your Wedding Time Capsule with new photos, letters, and memorabilia from the first year of your marriage.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie

www.timecapsule.com

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21 Creative Ways to Use a Time Capsule to Connect with Teenagers

You know, I remember asking my mom and dad when I was a teenager, “If life is like this now, what is it going to be like when my children are teenagers?” It was a rhetorical question, one of the many that came from my random thoughts as a teenager. I have always been one of those kids who was told, “you are wise beyond your years.” My parents made it a goal to consistently make sure they were bonding with us in positive ways. When I worked as a counselor in my own private practice, I heard many different life stories from young kids and teenagers. It is vital, to find anything and everything you can to communicate to teenagers about their world, even if it is a time capsule.

This blog is a continuation about who can use a time capsule. These priceless and treasured gifts can also be used by teenagers. During a time of great confusion, a teenager is trying to discover his or her identity. The following is a list of 21 ways to use a teenage time capsule to connect with with adolescence on a deeper level.

1. Write a “Message to the Future” letter to yourself about where you see yourself after you graduate or get married.

2. Use the time capsule as an anonymous container in your youth group, for kids to put questions or comments on slips of paper to leave for staff to read once per week, or have teachers from your teenagers high-school, fill out a letter about predictions of where they see him or her in the future.

3. To put your nostalgic memorabilia in, from childhood, to open years later and reminisce about what life was like during that time in your life.

4. To save love letters from your first boyfriend, to review later when you meet “the one.” What a fun day that may be when you read those old letters from your “first” official boyfriend. A time capsule will help you remember this “first” or milestone moment in your life.

5. Adolescence is an adventure in of itself, of which includes many exciting events that need to be preserved in a profile book of yourself that you can include in your time capsule.

6. For a teenager, giving them the privacy they so desperately want, is connecting with them. Let them develop their independence, as they learn skills of how to make it in life on their own, by encouraging them to keep extra money in their time capsule like a savings bank with emergency money.

7. For a teenager, a time capsule is similar to diaries, journals, or saved emails to yourself. Time capsules can be a place to work out difficult life questions, as you write about your feelings and changing relationships.

8. Connect with your teenager by using the time capsule to teach them about what to hold on to and what to let go. Let them put those emotions on pieces of paper or in a letter, put their old favorite shirt or toy in a time capsule, to bury or put away for years, helping them forget about it and let go.

9. Leave your teenager a letter, in the time capsule, about what life was like when you were a teenager. Then have your teenager open the time capsule with the letter in it and other significant items you saved from his or her life so far.

10. In the time capsule, leave a list of positive words that describe your teenager. Make it look nice on special paper, that maybe he or she will want to frame and hang on the wall.

11. Show you listen to your teenager, and put something significant in the time capsule and then give it to them to open as if a present. For example, put a favorite book, movie, or music, etc in the time capsule.

12. When you feel your daughter is of age to wear make-up, put a set of different colors of eye shadow, lipstick, nail polish, etc in a time capsule and have a special party as she enters adulthood. You could even invite her friends over for a make-up party.

13. Write a love letter to your teenager, and say how proud of them you are. Leave it in their time capsule, telling them when they can open it, for their special surprise.

14. Let your teenager use the time capsule as a place to write out the full story of what happened (during a problem in their life or if he or she made a bad life decision). This helps your teenager get the whole story out, before you react or jump to conclusions.

15. Create a favorite, new, recipe together and save it in their time capsule for years so they have it for when they get married.

16. Keep a souvenir from your fun vacation together, in their time capsule.

17. Take great photos of moments with your teenager, or their friends, and preserve them in a time capsule for years. Then, at their graduation, open the time capsule and reminisce about the “good old days.”

18. Keep a gift or memorabilia from a shared hobby or passion, you have spent time doing with your teenager, in the time capsule. None of us really truly understand what a special time in our lives meant, until it is gone or your teenager has left for college far away.

19. Put the keys to their first car, in the time capsule, then let them open the time capsule when they receive their driver’s license.

20. Make a college survival gift basket kit, with the time capsule holding many significant items from their childhood, you feel he or she would want to preserve and take to college.

21. Make a bucket list to keep in your time capsule, to see what all you have accomplished by the time you open the time capsule.

I hope this list of ideas is just a start for you to connect better with your teenager. A time capsule is a gift that keeps on giving and giving. Pass on your life lessons, and preserve your teenager’s milestone moments in a time capsule. Help your adolescent tell his or her own children what life was like when he or she was a teenager, with the use of a decorative time capsule from http://www.timecapsule.com. For other ideas of what to put in a teenage time capsule, check out http://www.education.com/activity/article/Make_High_School_Time_Capsule/

What is one thing you would put in your teenager’s time capsule? Comment below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

www.timecapsule.com

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