Things I've Learned Lately

by Danae Jacobson

Overview

Teenager Danae Jacobson, an exciting new voice in young adult publishing, offers insights and asks questions gleaned from a perceptive and refreshingly simple view of the world around her. In a debut book, Things I've Learned Lately, her short essays on the life lessons she's experienced discuss everything from love and relationships to the meaning of seasons and of death. Chapters include "Midnight Laughing Cleanses You," "There Is a Time for Everything," and "The Stars Shine Brighter When There Is No Moon." Danae explores simple truths such as, "Forgiving someone is proof of your love," and, "Coincidences are really 'God-things,'" offering an honest, hopeful approach to young people who, like herself, are striving to match the challenges of life with a firm faith.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307565136
Publisher:	The Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/19/2010
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	150
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Danae Jacobson is a college student who grew up on a ranch in central Oregon. She loves reading and writing, playing basketball, wakeboarding, and helping care for the horses and animals on her family's ranch including Dillon, her Rottweiler. An avid Portland Trailblazers fan, she is the oldest of four children.

Read an Excerpt

things I've learned lately

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By Danae Jacobson

Multnomah Publishers

Copyright © 2001 Danae Jacobson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 1576739511

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Chapter One

I've learned that ...

Summer is my favorite season, Friends don't always have to get along, Even important people take breaks, And all little boys miss their mommies at bedtime.

I've learned that ...

Life is short and death unthwartable, Love is more than three words, Chocolate chip cookies taste better as dough, And you should never wait to tell someone why you love them.

I've learned that ...

I'm not home yet-I'm just passing through, Time is never as important as people, Smiles can make your day, And happy times can come hand in hand with sad ones.

I've learned that ...

When you meet people, you usually decide whether or not you like them soon afterward, People are precious, The greatest of these really is love, And I need to marry a sensitive person.

I've learned that ...

Getting up twenty minutes earlier gives you a better outlook on the day, The color red can mean death and blood or love and hearts, Forgiving someone is proof of your love, And respect isn't good enough for God.

I've learned that ...

Some people are afraid to cry, Relationships take work, You really have to accept people as they are and not try to change them into what you think they should be, And midnight laughtercleanses you.

I've learned that ...

The stars shine brighter when there is no moon, Everyone has something that makes their heart glad, America is a country that needs the prayers of her people, And my mom understands.

I've learned that ...

Dogs really are man's best friend-not so much that they are ours, but we are theirs, Heaven's got to be something special, Coincidences are really "God things," And love always trusts, always hopes.

I've learned that ...

The right thing is not always clear-both sides may believe they're right, but there are not two right ways, There is a time for everything, Being challenged to grow is a good thing, And loving people is a gift.

I've learned that ...

Looking people in the eyes is a way of showing respect, My grandma is my friend, Pears bruise easily, And the world can be a cold, hard place.

I've learned that ...

We don't have to know everything, The guy at church has known pain, more than some know in a lifetime, Country music isn't so bad after all, And Christmas is love.

I've learned that ...

Being around someone wholly devoted to God is refreshing, My horses trust me, When our motivation is anything other than love, then Christianity becomes merely a religion, And my family is precious, more so than anything.

I've learned that ...

When people are nervous, they become someone other than themselves, Work is necessary, Sometimes life stinks, And we all struggle-no one is as confident as he seems.

I've learned that ...

College might not be what I imagine, Sometimes you have to let people go, Having fun with someone opens the door for friendship, And everyone you meet has a life.

I've learned that ...

Some people act older than they are, Baby chicks grow up quickly, We are immortal until God is ready for us to die, And God has a plan.

I've learned that ...

We usually take for granted the feelings of people we don't understand, Little girls need to feel pretty, Books are like friends who share a little of themselves with you, And change is inevitable.

I've learned that ...

It's always better to give people the benefit of the doubt, although most of us don't, Dogs' eyes show their trust and love, B-ball is important to me, And I never want to get too big for a hug from my dad.

I've learned that ...

There's so much more inside people than we see, Everyone looks for love, I love God, And a good teacher is really a friend.

I've learned that ...

Most people have the same feelings and needs as me-they just express them differently, Everyone has faults, And the best things in life are people.

I've learned that ...

Memories are a treasure you should never let go, Little boys need baths, And what a person sees in you is sometimes very different than what you think he's seeing.

A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22

Chocolate Chip Cookies Taste Better As Dough

There's something about chocolate chip cookies that is special. Almost anyone can make them, whether or not you know much about baking. And if you don't burn the cookies or use two cups of baking soda instead of flour, they usually turn out pretty good.

Even better than the cookies, though, is the cookie dough. Sometimes my friends and I will get together to watch movies or listen to music while we make cookie dough instead of cookies. Forget the baking sheet-we dig right in with our spoons. And despite repeated warnings, none of us has ever gotten salmonella from the uncooked eggs.

Maybe it's because I usually eat dough with a bunch of friends while talking, laughing, and singing. Maybe it's because we grew up being told by Mom, "Don't eat the dough!" But whatever the reason, my friends and I agree that chocolate chip cookies definitely taste better as dough.

And you know what? I've learned that that's true about a lot of things in life. It's so easy to look ahead and imagine how wonderful life will be "when I get to college" or "when I turn twenty-one" or "when I get married." But today is all we are guaranteed. What if today is the best part? If we're always waiting for and dreaming about the finished product, we can miss out on what is really the best! So my advice and philosophy is to live in the now. Take a big bite of the cookie dough, and share it with someone you love.

The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

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Excerpted from things I've learned lately by Danae Jacobson Copyright © 2001 by Danae Jacobson
Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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