Lesson Learned

So, after I posted yesterday, I came across two articles about speaking negatively of others. 

Hmmm... think I was supposed to learn something? :)

They were both pretty profound selections for me to read given what I have been thinking about the squirrel lady recently! I loved this one quote. Spoke volumes to me.

"Some think the only way to get even, to get attention or advantage, or to win is to bash people....

Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of being a basher repulsive.

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."

Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Here was one more: “'How can you tell if someone is converted to Jesus Christ?... The best and most clear indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming unto Christ is the way we treat other people.'"

Be one who nurtures and who builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.

If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

Let us open our arms to each other, accept each other for who we are, assume everyone is doing the best he or she can, and look for ways to help leave quiet messages of love and encouragement instead of being destructive with bashing." Elder Ashton

Spoke to me in ways more than words can express.