Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thank you Mom and Dad for what you taught me…

Wow, understatement of the YEAR! Well, ok, so it's only January 5th…5 days into the new year, but still, I can't even begin to describe how much I'm thankful for what my folks have taught me!

One of my favorite lessons though is the act of acceptance and moving forward. I tell you what, having to come clean to my mom and dad about something I've done wrong or something I've felt guilty about, has always been hard….but, after 33 years of doing this, I know 100% in my heart that they'll always love me, forgive me, accept me, and encourage me. How great is that?? If I can pass that on to MY son…well, then I will have honored them in one of the best ways I know how.

Now, mind you, it hasn’t always been this way in my family. Like everyone's family, mine has it's shares of demons, skeletons, secrets, failures, and mistakes…(and most of that can be summed up by two words...teenage girls...) But the theme of the day is "acceptance and moving forward" right? Ha! So, we shall...

So, why is this lesson my favorite? Well, I suppose first of all it just fits right with my personality. I'm optimistic, forgiving, loving, and very much into promoting positive energy. Feelings of anger, resentment, fear, hate, hurt, doubt, and pity are all negative energies. You know what I mean? They're the feelings that zap you into a cold dark funk…and even on the sunniest and warmest of days (remember those?...sigh…) those feelings will tie you down. Worse yet, they leak out of us like a soaking wet dripping dirty dish sponge…oozing onto whomever or whatever passes by. Why on earth would I want to pass that on to someone else??

So, acceptance and moving forward involves forgiveness. Forgiveness of others AND forgiveness of myself. That 'forgiveness of self' part is the hardest. So many of us have used self criticism and negative self labels like "failure", "fraud", and "destructive" as a means to motivate us to work harder, and hopefully, to get better… ….Sigh… but there are better ways to do it.

I read a Keys for Kids Bible devotion (or "Devo's" as my friend calls them) to Aaron last night about a young boy who thought he was useless and worthless… "I'm no good" the boy said. Well, Aaron, sad to say, perked right up and said, "I feel just like that!" (Now, to be honest, had you been in the neighborhood at that exact moment, you may have heard my heart break!)

But what the devotional lesson stated was that Satan puts those thoughts into our heads. Of course, being a wonderfully wise little man, Aaron looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "Nu-uh Mom, my BRAIN put them there!"…(Too smart for his own good I tell ya!)… So I explained that when Satan, or society, or what-not, puts those thoughts into our heads, they block the message that God has for us. Which is, as most of us know, "You are precious…and God don't make junk!" (Which according to my little man, is VERY poor grammar). Haha. Wow, he's actually paying attention in school! Yay for small victories!!

Ok, so back to what my parents taught me. Basically, every time I would fall into a "pity party", full of tears, self doubt, and self criticism, my Dad would give me that look of exasperation, like HE was getting frustrated with me! And rightly so! I was falling into the trap of denying what God had created. Someone with a beautiful heart, plans, dreams, and a purpose.

All it takes is my Dad's look, that sigh, and then him saying, "Well?! Move on! Ok? So, you've learned from it, you know what you need to do, now DO IT!" (I learned over the years that though it may at times sound harsh, he truly means it out of love…)

So thank you Mom and Dad. Your words of wisdom, your little looks, sighs, and all the other nonverbal messages are always there in the back of my mind…pushing me forward, keeping me on track…

And now it's my turn. When my friends and family have their own periods of self pity and fall into Satan's trap, I get that same feeling of exasperation. Though parts of me wish I could just jump in and help them, I know each battle they overcome is another lesson learned.

...And, BOY, I've learned a LOT of lessons…Hmmm, maybe THAT'S why I can never remember where my keys are! Data OVERLOAD! Haha…that's my theory about my disappearing keys anyway...

So, Dear God, help us all to find healthy ways to motivate ourselves, our friends and our family members, other than through self criticism and self labeling… They may help for a moment, but the damage is so much worse in the end. Help us to accept, forgive, and move forward, and make our hearts and our ears clear and open, to hear the love you have for us…even though we're not perfect. Amen!

Peace Friend!
~Erica