Mother and grandmother stresses faith, family, kindness and humility
Patti Garibay, founder and national executive director of American Heritage Girls, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is sharing the 11 things she wants her 11 grandchildren to know in life.
Along with other parents, Garibay started the faith-based American Heritage Girls in 1995 around a kitchen table in Ohio, "frustrated" at that time, she said, with how a scouting organization was handling matters of faith and culture.
Her scouting-type leadership group for girls was born with a Christian focus; its first troops were fourth-grade and fifth-grade girls.
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"Parents have a God-given responsibility to know what their children are being taught," she writes in her book, "Why Curse the Darkness When You Can Light a Candle."
Today, there are troops in all 50 states and 15 countries around the world. Girls ages five to 18 participate in outdoor activities, service projects, hands-on badge programs and more, she told Fox News Digital.
Patti Garibay, founder and national executive director of American Heritage Girls, a scouting-type leadership program for young women, has shared 11 insights after "searching for the meaning of life on this Earth." (American Heritage Girls)
Her 11 life insights here — with "her beloved 11 grandchildren" in mind, she said — touch on faith, family, relationships and more.
1. Seek and discover the meaning of life. For three decades, I searched for the meaning of life on this Earth. This search is common to man; it is a normal experience and necessary for each to discover and to own. I know it: to love God and His people. All decisions can be measured against this expression, and if done regularly, life will have great purpose beyond your time on earth.
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2. Be grateful always. Do not operate from a place of scarcity but a place of fullness, knowing that the Lord provides all that we need.
3. Understand that our sense of time is not the Divine’s sense of time. Life is a long game, and our current crisis is only for a moment. Make important decisions through the lens of impact over time. Today’s problem will serve as tomorrow’s lesson for personal growth in the tapestry of your life.
"Life is a long game, and our current crisis is only for a moment," said Garibay. "Make important decisions through the lens of impact over time." (American Heritage Girls)
4. Never underestimate the importance of faith for your mental health. Prayer and worship help our normally egocentric selves to look beyond our needs and wants and center on our God who fills our every need. As Blaise Pascal, renowned French philosopher, said, "We all have a God-sized hole in our heart."
5. Value relationships and family. It is no mistake that the family unit was designed by God for us to grow and thrive. Do not despise it; do not cancel it. Seek to understand and be grateful for the differences we have and the unity we enjoy as friends and family.
"Be grateful for the differences we have and the unity we enjoy as friends and family."
6. Be generous. Do not give from your overflow but rather from your current state. Be willing to sacrifice for others and reap the blessing that comes from God-given altruism. Be generous with your time, talent and treasure.
Garibay is pictured with her husband and her "11 beloved grandchildren." (American Heritage Girls)
7. Be humble. Know that you are unique and special due to your inheritance in the Kingdom of God. But beyond that, no person is above another. It takes more courage and strength to be humble than it does to be prideful and haughty.
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8. Yearn to learn and have a sense of humor. Learn something new every day. Cultivate and fertilize a sense of wonder, despite your age. Appreciate the beauty that is around you. Do not take yourself or others too seriously. Enjoy life — you only have one! Today’s despair often becomes joy for tomorrow.
"Enjoy life — you only have one!"
9. Respect life. Life is precious in all stages and ages. Life comes from God and relies on God. We are inextricably tethered to our Maker — and without this recognition, we are simply finite creatures whose purpose relies on our current emotive state.
Girls who participate in the American Heritage Girls scouting-type leadership program enjoy outdoor activities as well as service projects and badge programs. The organization is one of the largest of its kind and has been around since 1995. (American Heritage Girls)
10. Know you were created on purpose for a purpose. The exploration of your God-given purpose may take a decade or a lifetime. Recognize the gifts that have been given to you. Discover your passion as passion gives fuel to purpose, which is essential during difficult seasons.
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11. Seek a vocation rather than a career. Pursue what God is calling you to, not what the world says pays the best or offers the most prestige. Look beyond obvious gifts and skill. Identify your passions and marry the two.
Use the comments section below to share your thoughts — and your own life lessons!
Maureen Mackey is managing editor of lifestyle for Fox News Digital.
