Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues Lived By

Benjamin Franklin lived his life according to thirteen virtues. It was like his own religion and what he believed in. For that reason, I thought it could be a good follow-up post.

Note: His virtues can be found in his autobiography, hence the quotes.

The Thirteen Virtues are the following:

1. "Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."

2. "Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."

3. "Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time."

4. "Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."

5. "Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing."

6."Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions."

7. "Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly."

8. "Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."

9. "Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."

10. "Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation."

11. "Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."

12. "Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation."

13. "Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."

What do you think of Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues?

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

❤Meg❤

Live Original Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

6. Live Original by Sadie Robertson

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Sadie Robertson-star of A&E’s Duck Dynasty and daughter of Willie and Korie Robertson-shares her outlook on life as she opens up about herself and the values that make her family what it is. Sadie Robertson represents everything that a well-adjusted teenager should be, even while growing up in the spotlight on Duck Dynasty. She exhibits poise, respect for her family and friends, and a faith that influences her choices. Everyone wants to know how a family as eclectic as the Robertsons are raising such confident, fun, family-loving kids. With this book, Sadie sheds light on the values instilled by her family that make her the person she is. Sadie lives by a simple list of principles that lead her to personal and spiritual growth and allow the relationships she has with her friends and family to flourish. These values include think happy, be happy; dream big; shake the hate; do something; and many more.

My Review:
I want to start out by saying that I'm not a fan of Duck Dynasty. I've seen a few episodes and it just isn't to my liking - nothing to do with their Christian lifestyle by the way. I got to know Sadie when she danced with Mark Ballas on Season 19 of Dancing With the Stars and ended up liking her because of her personality and staying true to her values.

In a time when being a Christian/Catholic is not easy, it amazes me to know that some people stay true to their faith and values despite the adversity they face, just like Sadie does. Sadie does a good job at sharing how her faith in God helps guide her through her teenage years. The teen years can be pretty rough, especially for girls. Sadie does give some great advice for getting through those challenging times. It didn't come across as being over preachy, but in some situations, it went over the top just a little.

Some of the things mentioned were repeated in different ways throughout the book and it was just using simple and basic language. Since Sadie is only a teen, there are still lots of challenges that she has yet to face. The only thing that I didn't like was that it came across as in Sadie believing that all teens are raised like she was most of her life. And unfortunately, that's not quite true. Yes, there are a lot of devout Christian families out there, kids included, who live exceptional lives as to God's lifestyle, so to say. I have no problems with that, but at the same time, you have to take into consideration and show compassion to the way others have grown up. It does sometimes takes people a while to put God first in their life and you have to be respectful of that as well.

Sadie said over and over again how she chooses to be happy regardless of what's going on, even through the tough times. That certainly isn't easy. While I agree that choosing to be happy (or hiding the fact that you're going through a hard time) is necessary in a way, it is also okay to have those bad days. Being sad and upset (this doesn't mean anger) it's normal to show those emotions as well. She does give advice to keeping emotions in check, like anger and jealousy, because people tend to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing when they feel that way.

This is a great book for tweens and teens alike. I appreciated the scripture quotes throughout the story. It just underwhelmed me a little bit as a whole. What I liked the most about this book was that it encourages you to be you, so live original.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

Meg


 

Easter Parade

 

 

Since yesterday was Easter and today happens to be "E" day on the A to Z Challenge, I'm going to post about my favorite Easter movie/musical, Easter Parade.

 

This is my favorite scene from Easter Parade starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire:

 

 

 

I also can't forget the real reason behind Easter and that is, of course, Jesus dying for our sins and rising from the dead. So this is my favorite Church hymn sung at Easter time, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today". It's sung by the Choir of King's College in Cambridge, England and arranged by Sir David Willcocks.

 



 

 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter : )

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

Meg