Ellieisms
Thirty-nine things she wanted her son to know.
Ellie wrote this list for Madison before he left for college. It was never meant to be published. It is the clearest statement of what she believed that any of us have.
Some of it is about health, some about work, some about God, and a good deal of it about paying attention to the world. Read together, it is recognisably the same person who spent a career making hard history legible to teenagers — practical, unsentimental, and entirely unwilling to let you off the hook.
Five of these appear on the front of this site. Here is the whole list, as she wrote it.
No matter what life may put in your path, keep your sense of humor – even in the most miserable of times. Laugh mostly at yourself, and never at those who can’t take it.
Value every friendship, no matter how unimportant it may seem to you at the time.
Understand that you have something to learn from every person, no matter how great or small. There’s no one whom you can’t benefit from knowing.
Never hesitate to say, “I’m sorry.” “I was wrong.”
Take time each day to thank God for the good things in your life, which always outnumber the bad.
Never ask God to solve your problems for you. Instead, ask for guidance and strength that will help you solve the problems yourself.
Don’t complain. Save your energy for finding a solution.
Think positively and have faith. Things will work out for the better if you work hard to make them work out.
When adversity comes your way, know that you are not alone. None of us escapes our share of burdens. Some people are handed more than others. If you are one of those, know that you were chosen because you are able to bear the burdens better than most.
Each day, notice something in nature that makes you appreciate how beautiful the earth really is – no matter where you are.
Find a special, quiet spot where you can watch the full moon rise each month.
Don’t let wind, rain, or snow keep you indoors. When nature seems harsh it is only reminding you to be humble.
At least once a week, watch the sun rise.
Enjoy being alone with your own thoughts.
Treat your body like a precious vessel. Never put anything into it that you know to be harmful.
Exercise vigorously every day, even when you don’t have the time.
Eat and drink in moderation; listen to your body and mind. They will tell you what is right.
Don’t be wasteful. Take care of your possessions, no matter how old or used they are. Remember to put away carefully any unused food or drink. Some day you may be starving.
Get enough sleep, but not too much.
Have fun, but not too much. This is not the main purpose of life. Self-indulgence and laziness are terminal diseases.
Work hard, but don’t let your working hours consume you. Make time to be with family, with friends, and be alone with yourself.
Enjoy the holidays as more than simply days off from work. They are traditions that bind one generation to the next.
Visit the graves of your ancestors and remember what they have done for you.
Appreciate all types of music. There are important messages in each.
Never be afraid to ask why.
Comfort anyone you can at any time.
Find ways to help those who are weaker than you.
Stop discrimination, persecution, and intolerance wherever you see it, no matter how insignificant.
Remember that there are none so blind as those who will not see. Don’t allow yourself to become blind.
Think before you act, and never do anything to hurt a person’s feelings, including your own.
Never be selfish. However you’ve rewarded yourself will sour in comparison to what you could have done for someone else.
Remember your parts of speech, and place more value on the abstract nouns than on the concrete. The concrete are transitory; the abstract are lasting.
Never work primarily for money.
Find the time, make the time, take the time, even when you don’t think you have the time.
Follow the adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Staying organized will make you much more productive and satisfied with yourself.
Do it – even when you know you can’t. You will. Don’t procrastinate, for tomorrow may never come.
Never do what you know to be wrong, even when all those around you are doing it.
Uphold the law to the limits of your own soul. But when you believe the law to be morally wrong, follow your soul, for it is there that you must answer in the end.
Pray that when your life is done, you will leave behind the very best that is within you, and work each day toward that goal.
Why the Foundation exists
The last one is the brief.
“Pray that when your life is done, you will leave behind the very best that is within you, and work each day toward that goal.”