Sara Martin

.. My dad, David Lowery, who passed away September 11, 2005, and my husband Andrew Lee Martin, who is the light of my life, and the wind on my face.

..... Words to live by. 1. Remember that a child is a gift from god, the richest of all blessings. Do not attempt to mold him in the image of your neighbor. Each child is an individual and should be permitted to be himself. 2. Don't crush a childs spirit when he fails. And never compare him with others who have outshone him. 3.Remember that anger and hostility are natural emotions. Help your child to find socially acceptable outlets for these normal feelings or they may be turned inward and erupt. 4. Discipline your children with firmness and reason. Don't let your anger throw you off bablance. If he knows you are fair, you will not lose his respect or his love. And make sure the punishment fits the crime. 5. Remeber that each child needs two parents. Present a united front. Never join with your child against your mate. This can create emotional conflicts in your child as well as in yourself. 6. Do not hand your child everything his little heart desires. Permit him to know the thrill of earning and the joy of deserving. Grant him the greatest of all satisfactions- the pleasure that comes with personal achievement. 7. Do not set yourself up as the epitome of perfection. This is a difficult role to play twenty-four hours a day. You will find it easier to communicate with your child if you let him know that Mom and Dad make mistakes, too. 8. Don't make threats in anger or impossible promises when you are in a generous mood. Threaten or promise only what you can live up to. 9. Do not smother your child with superficial manifestations of love. The purest and healthiest love expresses itself in day-in, day-out training that breeds self-confidence and independence. 10. Teach your child there is dignity in work whether it is performed with calloused hands that shovel coal or skilled fingers that manipulate surgical instruments. Let him know that a useful life is a blessed one. 11. Do not try to protect your child against every small blow and disapointment. Adversity strengthens character and makes us compassionate. Trouble is the greatsest equalizer. Let him learn. 12. Teach your child to love God and to love his fellow man. Dont send your child to a place of worship- take him there. Children learn from example. Telling him something is NOT teaching him. If you give your child a deep and abiding faith in God, it can be his strength and his light when all else fails. I miss you Daddy....