Things We Told Our Kids at the Dawn of a New Millenium


Honesty is the most important thing—
if you can preserve your integrity
you will be able to withstand the most
severe challenges that Life may bring your way.

In our opinion, the virtue that is
right next to truthfulness
in every aspect of your life,
is Kindness.

Common courtesy and thoughtful
consideration of those around you
make for a pleasant way of being, and make you a
joy to be around, every single day—
which means you’ll always be surrounded by
loving family and friends, and you’ll
never be lonely for long.

Nothing ventured is nothing gained.
Don’t be afraid to take a little risk, but make sure
that when you do, you understand
the consequences if the worst happens.
If you can live with the
worst that could possibly happen—then go for it!
Remember your Great-great Aunts,
Marge and Alice Greenough would never have
become Champion Saddle Bronc riders,
if they would have been afraid to break with tradition and risk it all.
If they hadn’t taken
that risk
they would have waited tables
their whole life,
never seen the World,
never Won
the World.

The only things
really
necessary for a decent life are
food and a warm place to lie down.
Beyond that, everything else is a luxury to be appreciated—
don’t let the pursuit for more and more stuff take
control of your life, and
never let it get in the way of your most
important relationships.

Enjoy your work, and when you work, work hard.

Be conscientious.

Don’t forget to Play.

Don’t be afraid to fail.
Remember that this family has a
long-standing tradition of
achieving more as the result of failure
than they ever imagined.
John McQueary arrived in Virginia in
chains in 1747, was sold on the block
into seven years of indentured servitude.
He brought the minimum bid.
But, when his time was served,
he married the farmer’s daughter and
inherited half of the farm, and
began the family that would be our forebears.
Even though he lost the Battle of Culloden, and his
freedom,
in the end, the British Crown made it
possible for him to acquire in America
everything he had desired in his
native Scotland—Land, Family, and a Future.

Take care of those around you, and you take care of yourself.

Stay in touch.
Your oldest friends and your
family
will be the most important to you as you grow older.
Remember the power of

Love.

And never forget how much we love You.