Embracing Imperfection
I received the following in an email a few days ago from my good friend, Jay, in Knoxville. It made me think about how I deal with imperfection. The following is a good story; albeit true or false, it teaches a good lesson for us all. Read on…
When I was a little boy, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad.
I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said. 'Baby, I love burned toast.'
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night, and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, 'Little Buddy, your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!’
You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - but into your own.
People will always forget what you do, and they will always forget what you say, but they will never, ever forget the way you make them feel.
Never say no to a gift from a child. I once had a poor Mexican child give me a white ceramic unicorn. I accepted it with love. She had bought me something that she liked. I value that gift.
We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them.
~La Rochefoucauld
Joke of the Day
A man goes on a business trip and leaves his cat with a neighbor. When he calls in to check on the pet the friend says 'Your cat died.'
The man is heartbroken, and asks 'Couldn't you have broken it to me gently? The first time I called you could have said 'The cat is on the roof' and later, 'The cat fell off the roof, and it doesn't look good'', etc, etc.
Well, he gets a new cat, and next time he goes away he leaves the new animal with the same neighbor.
A week later he calls him up and says 'How's my cat?' The neighbor replies, 'Your cat's fine, but your mother is on the roof.'
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