As graduation day approaches high school seniors are anticipating an event they have worked so hard to reach. So many years of seven hour days filled with teaching, a little bit of learning and awful school lunches. As one chapter of your life comes to a close a new one is about to open.

I could sit here and tell you all sorts of helpful tips to remember when starting college or entering the real world, I could also tell you about how to appreciate the time you have left in high school. I won't bore you with any of that. Instead I will leave you with some words of wisdom that you can apply not just now in your life but even when your 50. One of my family friends sent me some of these as I was about to graduate college. It was the greatest gift anyone could have given me. Sometimes a few words mean the most. Carry these truths throughout your life, practice them. Remember though as one door closes another opens. Make the absolute best of it.

1. Never blame anyway in life. Good days give happiness & bad days give experience. Both are essential in life so welcome everyday with a smile.

2. One beautiful heart is better than a thousand beautiful faces.

Beauty is truly only skin deep. Realize that and choose your friends wisely.

3. There are three things in life you cannot recover. The word once it's said, the moment after it's missed, and the time once it's gone.

Take time to appreciate the little things, your family, your friends and this life.

4. No matter how you feel get up, dress up, show up, and NEVER give up.

5. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Although the world may be a chaotic mess never forget who you are, where you came from and who helped you get there.

6. "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."-Kurt Vonnegut

7. If you're wrong own up to it. That is how you learn and earn respect.

8. Even if it ends badly it's worth it. If it made you feel something it taught you something.

Never get upset or regret spending time on someone who removed themselves from your life. These people are essential so that we can learn and grow from them.

9. Before you assume, learn the facts. Before you judge, understand why. Before you speak, think.

10. The most important of all of these is this. "The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to call upon Him in truth." Psalms 145:18.

When it seems you can't find the answer, have no where to run or your world has been turned upside down remember all it takes is a sincere heart and closing your eyes. The Creator of all things is there to listen. If you do not get the answer you want immediately do not mistake God's patience for his absence.

As you go out into the world remember these things. There is a beautiful world out there that seems to always get covered up by the bad and evils of this place. Find the good in the world. Be the good in the world. Welcome to a new chapter!