Thanks to so many readers who have submitted their own lessons for living. And the contest is still going on! You have until December 31 to submit either your own life wisdom, or a lesson you have learned from your elders. The holidays are a great time to ask: Why not interview one of your favorite older relatives and submit his or her most important lesson?

Here are a few of the recent entries, and many more wonderful ones can be read here.

From Kim:

My lesson can from my Grandmother –

I was calling to tell her about my new boyfriend and that I would introduce her to him on her next visit. I also wanted to tell her that my parents did not agree with my choice and that they were not willing to meet him. The phone grew quite for a minute and then she asked one simple but most important question, “Do you love him?” At that point the tears started to flow and she told me that through out her life she has learned many lessons and this was most important, “if you love him, you stand by him and anyone that doesn’t agree with your decision will have to live with it.” Then she asked me which of my parents doesn’t agree with me. I told her it was both of my parents, and then she said she was going to call my Mom and remind her of the importance of love and give her a piece of her mind. I hung up with a heavy burden lifted and a true reminder of what is really important in life.

From Eileen:

My Dad, the late Charles G. Strickland , was the elder that taught my most valuable life lesson.
Daddy forever stressed that having been born a woman ought to never stand in my way of fulfilling my dreams as I journeyed life’s path alone.
Because of his lifelong encouragement, I have let nothing stop me from following my heart’s desire; whether it was pedaling my bicycle 100+ miles, figuring out how to take trips across the USA, or making arrangements to attend Auctioneer College.

And from George:

As a young boy growing up in the heart of the Great Depression our family had very limited income and hardly any material possessions. I wore hand-me- down clothes that didn’t fit and had no toys like the other kids. I was being raised by a wonderful grandma whose simple advice to a little boy has stuck with me my entire 68 years.
Knowing I felt out of place and embarassed, grandma told me “keep your head up, a smile on your face, and your shoes shined, and you will be all right”. It wasn’t how I looked, or the toys I didn’t have. It was about having a positive attitude.

Thanks to these three, and many others, for their wonderful gifts of elder wisdom!