THINGS MY MOTHER GOT RIGHT--by Diane Webb

She never told me I couldn't be what I wanted to be
(for Halloween or when I grew up)

She made my birthday and every Christmas special

She never said I couldn't have seconds, thirds or as much as I wanted to eat

She made sure I had a good education and valued learning

She taught me to never pass up an opportunity to learn or grow

She never said "I told you so" when she could have many, many times

She gave me freedom to be myself even when it had to be extremely annoying to her

She let me learn lessons the hard way but only when I insisted

She made sure I knew that being a female was not a handicap or barrier to success in any way

She made me believe I was just as important as anyone else in the world

She taught me I was no better or no worse than others regardless of wealth, social status, or race

She taught me that money did not define people's value or determine success

She taught me to fight for those who could not or would not fight for themselves

She did not allow me to give up or stop because I had failed or had made a terrible mistake

She did not let me know when we were poor

She made our meals wonderful even when she couldn't buy groceries

She put herself in debt sometimes to make sure I had things I wanted but did not really need

She made everything fun even when it was work

She always tried to give me a better chance and a better life than she had

She taught me to never back down and to always stand my ground for what I believed in

She taught me that "right is right and wrong is wrong all over the world"

She taught me that mothers are mothers because they are mothers and not because they will be understood, appreciated, or respected for it

She showed me what it really means to love someone "for better or worse, in sickness and in health, and for richer or poorer" (which applied to us children as well as our father)
I am so thankful to have had such a smart, strong, capable woman as a role model

Lesson's Learned in 2015 by Diane Webb

Keep trying, no matter what, never quit trying

(lost 40 pounds)

Anger boomerangs and it's bigger when it comes back at you

(don't lash out)

Wait before responding because you can't take it back

(some things are better left un-said)

Silence is sometimes the best response

(You don't have to answer every question or comment)

Truth without kindness is brutality indeed

(People don't want to hear the truth and they care less for your opinion)

Listen harder, better, longer, and more often

(People just want to feel heard even when you can't help)

We are all selfish to a certain extent and it's not cool

(I'm more selfish than I've been willing to admit)

When I point or judge it's really myself I'm talking about

(I don't live up to my own standards for myself so I take it out on others)

It's not too late to make things right with people you've hurt

(The past is over but that's no excuse not to do better by people you love now)

People, most of the time, are pretty forgiving when given half a chance to

(They just want to know you are sorry and you care)

There's no such thing as "constructive criticism"

(No one cares what you think and they already know their own faults and mistakes)

Prayer works, I need to do it more often

(Prayer is our number 1 purpose and mission in this world)

Hurt people really do hurt people

(Look past the hurtful and see the hurting)

All people are hurt in some way or another

(Let's just be as patient and kind to each other as we can)

Ignoring negatives works better than confronting them

(You don't always have to respond to rudeness or inappropriate things people say and do)

Most of my bad feelings, thoughts, behaviors are because I'm avoiding sadness

(When I find myself acting like a "dry-drunk" I need to ask myself who or what I am sad about)

I love people who have hurt me and that does not make me foolish

(I'm still going to love)

My time and money need to be spent on the people and things that really matter the most to me

(Time is more important than money)

New Year's Resolutions Suggestions updated for 2016 by Diane Webb

Image by slimmer_jimmer via Flickr

Only pick one resolution to work on at the time.  If it takes one year or two that's OK.  When you have mastered one then select another one.  The idea is to work on lifestyle or thinking patterns that, once changed, will affect many areas of your life.  Rather than working on surface things (which will have to be tackled one by one) you work on underlying or root cause issues which then will work like a domino affect and automatically address many things at once.  Please add to the list.

• Work on not wanting anything you don't already have--use "I shall not want" any time you see something you want to buy or are thinking about buying
• Start a savings account no matter how small and make regular deposits--set it up as automatic deposits if you can
• Work on not talking about anyone who is not present in the conversation--even if it's good or true
• Read the Bible every day--use one that's easy for you to read and understand or a study Bible
• Work on eating only food or drinking only drinks that have nutritional value--try to get the biggest amount of nutrition possible per meal or drink
• If you have health problems read your Bible 3 x day like taking a dose of medication (this one is from Derrek Prince)
• Work on not judging at all--this mean rating something either good or bad--not judging means no assessments, conclusions, or assumptions (this one may take more than 1 year)
• Work on completely listening when someone talks to you (no thinking about what you are going to say)
• Work on not minding the thing that bothers you the most (increasing your tolerance level for things you hate--like being interrupted, sudden changes, etc...).  This does not mean you accept or agree, it's just that you are turning the volume down on how much you let it bother you
• Work on never saying or thinking anything negative about yourself
• Work on never saying "I can't stand it" or "I can't handle it"
• Work on never giving an immediate answer if asked to so something and if pressed for an immediate answer always say "if I have to answer now then I have to say no"
• Work on being able to say "no" and stick to it
• Work on not giving or responding to guilt trips
• Work on being kind in all circumstances
• Work on assuming positive intent of others (even when it's not necessarily so)
• Work on seeking God's perfect will rather than God's permissive will