Ten Pearls from my Dad

An email I saved years ago—and the words that mean even more to me today.

Years ago, I woke up to an email from my dad.

Inside were ten little “pearls of wisdom.” I loved them enough to share them here on MBellished Life, but I don't think I could have known then how much that email would someday mean to me.

My father died five years ago.

Reading his words today feels different. Some make me smile. Some feel more relevant at this stage of my life than they did when he sent them. And some remind me of things I'm still learning.

I don't know where he originally found these sayings. What matters to me is that he read them, thought they were worth passing along, and sent them to me.

So rather than rewrite them, I want to preserve all ten.

1. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout life.

2. Why is a car's windshield so large & the rear view mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

3. Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4. All things in life are temporary. If they are going well, enjoy them, they will not last forever. If they are going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5. Old friends are gold! New friends are diamond! If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold! To hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!

6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart; it's just a bend, not the end!"

7. When God solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when God doesn't solve your problems, He has faith in YOUR abilities.

8. A blind person asked God: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10. Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles; it takes away today's PEACE.

What I Know Now

When I originally published these words, I thought I was sharing ten lovely pieces of wisdom.

Today, I realize I was also preserving a little piece of my dad.

There's something incredibly special about coming across a message from someone you love after they're gone. The words haven't changed. You have.

Five years after losing him, some of these pearls mean more to me than ever. Others remind me of lessons I'm still working on.

But mostly, I'm grateful that one morning my dad decided to send his daughter an email with ten things he thought were worth remembering.

I'm very glad I kept it.

xo,
Malvika