This year my son had re-takes of his pictures at school since mom forgot to dress him properly.  and I thought wow, re-takes. I sure would like a re-take on some life stuff.  Wish we could get a re-do on things we do and later live to regret them. I am sure this sweet little girl got a re-take. If only it were that simple when we messed up.

But life just doesn’t work that way. The errors we make in life can make you feel one of two ways, they either make you feel really dumb for making them, when you think you should have known better or they make you stop and  learn lessons. Which in turn makes you wiser, bolder, and smarter.  If lesson is taken then you won’t make the same mistake twice. Sure a re-take would be so much better but that isn’t life.  If you ever do get a second chance at something, you should move mountains to do it.  Most mistakes are gone forever and leave a trail of circumstances or hurt. However, forgiveness and confession are good remedies that will always work in your favor.  God is cool like that.

Here are some quotes about making mistakes.

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life. – Sophia Loren

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. – George Bernard Shaw

A man’s mistakes are his portals of discovery. – James Joyce

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein

All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes. – Winston Churchill

Enjoy today, let mistakes take you to new places, learn from them and seek wisdom.

Yesterday I told my sweet 19-year-old daughter that I was going to teach her to “FISH”.  As the great Chinese proverb says “Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  So since my girl loves her sweet tea, I thought I would teach her how to make my version of sweet tea.

Sipping tea is so relaxing sometimes. It can bring friends together for an afternoon or be one of the highlights at a family picnic.

There is also a saying called a Tea Sip that was used to describe the students who sat around while others went to fight a war. Not exactly what I imagine a tea sip but a very interesting definition.

 I don’t remember drinking tea much while I was growing up.  And it wasn’t until I married and was carried off to live the south, that I had a taste of my first SWEET TEA.  For you non-southerns I don’t mean tea that has had sugar packets dumped in or sweet n’ low. Besides you all know what happens to the sugar when it hits ice-cold tea?  It sinks to the bottom and stays there, never really sweetening anything. I mean true southern sweet tea that has been carefully sweetened at inception.  I was missing out all those years.

Here is my recipe for my sweet tea

4 Family size Luzianne tea bags

add these to a 1 quart pot of boiling water

let it boil for a few minutes and then set it aside

While the tea is still hot/warm add 1 cup of sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves.

Once it cools add to a 2 qt pitcher and fill the rest with cold water.

Now that I have passed on this southern tradition to my daughter, maybe she can teach me how to make her amazing scones.

Make some tea and enjoy the summer day. How do you take your tea?

As we go about our day we often hear things said about us. “oh, you look so good in that color”, “Did you get a haircut?” or “Did you mean to dye your hair that color?” You hear them all the time and more than not they are criticisms not compliments.  Things that spew out of our mouths to those closest to us are usually not very nice. They are said with the intention of “helping” to better them.  I am guilty of doing this very thing. I don’t like that I do that and sometimes I catch myself and turn it around to the positive and end paying a compliment instead.  I feel better and the loved one feels better.

Studies show that the average person gets 7 criticisms to 1 compliment. Wow!   That is tough. I try to make a point to always pay someone a compliment when I first meet them.  It is easy and it really puts them at ease. I find that saying something nice flows out of my mind and tongue easier than stopping and finding fault with someone.  Now when it comes to family it is, unfortunately, the opposite.  I have to really work harder at not being the hen pecking mom or wife and thinking that I was put here to be their mirror or holy spirit. Husband cleans the kitchen but forgets to sweep, what do I do? I look at the floor. My child brings home a report card with 4 A’s and 1 C and I harp on the C.  Letting up on all of that is hard but do-able.

As one who heard a lot of negative talk while growing up my ear tends to bend toward that one bad review.  I have had to re-program myself to look for the positive.

Here are a few ways to accentuate the positives:

1. Listen for the things that are good and true about you.

2. The next time you meet someone find one thing that you like about them and pay them a compliment.  It may be the only one they get that day.

3. When you hear a negative review about yourself, replace it with a positive one. For example: “You must not know how to organize.” Say this to yourself either out loud or quietly: “I am great at organizing”.

4. Stop the urge to burst someone’s bubble or wonderful idea. 9 times out of 10 they will come to a reasonable conclusion for themselves. They don’t need us telling them how much effort or money it will take to accomplish their dream. When that urge hits, stop and say “that sounds like a great idea”. Do not, I repeat do not, say the word but after that sentence.

5. Write out a compliment to someone. Either on Facebook, email or card/letter, write out a compliment to someone this week. I still have a small green 3×5 card that was passed around a group of wonderful women some 20 years ago (yes, I was only 9) that contains a sentence or two about how great they think I am. I am encouraged by that card and I still treasure it to this day.

If you tend to give out negative comments like they are going out of style then get a picture in your head of me putting my hand over my mouth and holding back the negative words. You do the same and then think about the 7 to 1 rule.  Be that one person who will give someone their one Fabulous compliment for the day. Have you been given your compliment for the day?

Today started like any other day except that I pushed myself and got up and dressed extra early to fit a work out  in before my work day began.  As I entered the gym I ran into a new friend in the lobby.  We began talking about what we had in common and what we type of exercise we do when we come to the gym.  I  shared what classes I like to attend and what I normally do  for a work out? However,  I conveniently left out how often I come and how long I actually work out.

As our conversations moved onto more personal information about ourselves and we realized that our lives had taken similar paths. Some of the paths were filled with hardship and pain. Hurtful experiences that we had not planned on sharing with a new friend in the foyer of our local gym. However, we both chose to open our souls, just a bit, and share our stories.   In the end it was both therapeutic and empowering.  More of these kinds of encounters are needed in this world.  Sharing our lives with each other, the hurt, the pain, the sometimes uncomfortable and the disappointments all can be used for good.  Somehow as these stories are shared with another they become a teaching tools, testimonies, overcoming triumphs, and they put feet on GRACE and MERCY.  If you do not know about Grace or Mercy, or if you have never heard of these words, leave a comment or message me.  I would be glad to share what I know about Mercy and Grace.

I challenge you all to bare your souls. We cannot share our stories with everyone and not everyone needs to hear them.  But you will feel a nudge and a green light to express what is in your heart with others.  You never know what may come from this conversation.