What you know by now, by the time you read this, is that our approach to parenting you has been to teach you lessons by a set of mantras.
That’s not to say we haven’t also shared with you, in words, the values we hold. But we hope you’ve learned our values more by watching how we’ve lived life, in front of you, than by simply listening to our words.
But long before you even knew we were parenting you, your mom and I established a set of things we really cared about. The essentials of what it meant for you to be part of our family.
It seemed silly when you were barely toddlers. But by now I hope you’ve come to embrace what it means to be a Lema.
Of course, there will be days where you wonder if these “old school” mantras still have power in your daily lives. My only request is that you spend some time trying to live by them and see if they serve you or not.
Lemas don’t lie.
Pretty sure this will always be a challenging one. But our intent, as hard as it may be, is to live lives of integrity. And that means you commit to the truth. As you hold steadfast to it, it will serve you. I can’t tell you how much easier life is when you’re not trapped by the numerous lies you’re trying to manage.
Lemas are generous.
This isn’t a function of money. It’s a function of your listening. We hope by now you’ve developed ears to hear more than your own wants and wishes. We hope by now you’ve learned to hear others, and in their stories, find the places and ways you can participate in making their lives better.
You don’t have to solve every problem on the planet. But the lives that you intersect with are opportunities for you to think about more than yourselves and a perfect place to live out our value for generosity.
A simple visual picture for you is to put your hand out, in front of your face, and open it up, palm up. As you open your hand to give, your hand is also open to receive. When it’s closed up, you won’t experience either the beauty of generosity or the joy of receiving a gift.
Lemas work hard.
There will always be people who are more gifted than you. There will always be people who have more wealth or resources than you. There will always be people who are smarter than you.
But there shouldn’t be many people who will work harder than you. Get up early. Work hard. Take fewer breaks. Invest in learning so that you can multiply your efforts intelligently.
Lemas are good friends.
There’s the difference between people who will call you a friend, and people who will call you at 2 am. And the reality is that while they’re different, it’s often a function of how different you are.
Develop yourselves into people who can be trusted at 2 am to help, even if it means waking up and getting out of bed. A friend who is like family – that’s what people cherish.
We’ve worked hard to demonstrate what it means to be a Lema. The reality is that it rests with you guys. It’s your turn to model it out, and to pass it on.