Words of Wisdom from the Man I Married

Mr. Boy, dying, has made a number of recommendations to me for life after him.

1. Don't shave with a straight razor. You might be tempted, dandy as you are, but you're too clumsy.
2. You're a MacNeil now.  That means your motto is "To Conquer or To Die."  Conquering is always preferable, and is no longer meant only in a sense of conquering land or people. Spiritual conquering is the ultimate expression, these days.
3. Don't hang out with people who aren't stubborn; you have no capacity to interact with them well.  Stick with Jews and the Irish.
4. Laugh often.
5. You're better at being a good boy than a bad one; it's one of your best qualities.
6. Take time to mourn. Then move on.
7. Read the psalms.
8. No emotion exists that has not been properly captured by the Bard.
9. Being part of an Irish family means you can't ever get rid of them.  Don't try.
10. Add Irish to the list of languages you should learn.
11. Don't spend all your time remembering me, and when you do remember me, remember happy times and Hershey's kisses, not hospitals and vomiting.
12. There is an Indigo Girls song perfect for every occassion.
13. If people ask if you're Scottish, you say "Scots-Irish, by marriage."  Then they won't ask you any questions about your clan heritage.  But learn everything you can anyway.  Theoretically, you could owe fielty to Chief Rory.
14. Love.  Every person, every moment, every thing.
15. Don't try two days at a time. That's a recipe for disaster.
16. I will always love you. I don't know what happens after death (I'd like to think nothing), but if something does - I will still love you.
17. It will still be hard to be sexy while thinking of a red-nosed reindeer. Take comfort in the fact that some things will never change.
18. So I borrowed this one from my priest, but: Most of the time, what you think is a dementor is just a boggart.  And if it's really a dementor, eat chocolate.
19. Dream big; live bigger.  Life is always more amazing than your wildest dreams.
20. Though know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,
Passing through nature to eternity.