Wisdom and Summer

"What wisdom have you gained in your 25 years?"

is a question I was asked over lunch last week druing my Maymester class, Reading the Bible From a Multicultural Perspective. The question fell on my birthday, of course, and so I scrambled to think of a response. Now, I've learned any number of things, but for some reason the first thing that blurted out of my mouth was "laugh at yourself" followed closely by "don't spend money on cheap food, it's never as good". I fully believe those two things, but the question has stuck with me over the past few days, and I'm trying to come up with a better answer. Now, I don't really know that 25 years is enough time to gain true wisdom, but I've certainly had a lot of mentors along my life journey that have taught me various things: My mom taught me about unconditional love and homemade cooking. My dad taught me that being myself is the key to life. My friend Sandy taught me the importance of a good romantic comedy when I'm feeling down. So, yes, I've learned things. But I still have a lot more to learn in the years ahead, so I guess I'll keep on laughing at myself when I need to, and I'll keep enjoying good food, with good people. And that's exactly what this summer is for. I just finished up middler year, and it's the first year in a long time that I haven't had a full time summer job or anything else (like CPE...good luck juniors!). So, in between working with the Youth in Mission program at LSTC and volunteering at the Youth Gathering, I'm here in Chicago to experience my first Chicago summer, which I've been told are pretty awesome. I'm excited for festivals and free concerts, bike rides along the lake and laying by the beach, and all around experiencing God's creation as fully as possible. I'm hoping this summer of relative Sabbath will help me be refreshed and renewed before I head off to my internship at House For All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado, which will be a whole new adventure. Undoubtedly I'll learn some wisdom from people who are important to me (and I've also learned wisdom from strangers too) this summer and I'll add it to my list that I can pass on to others some day. To get me started, what is the best bit of wisdom you've learned from someone important to you?