Written by “Then is then. Now is now. We must grow to learn the difference.” ~ Katie N.
Even as adults, we can sometimes let our parents have a ridiculous amount of control over our lives. A mother’s chance remark can bring us to tears with anger and frustration. A father’s random lack of consideration can stick with us for weeks, eating at us and making us miserable.
Until we realize that we have a choice about the way we respond, our emotional well-being is entirely dependent on what someone else does. Of course other people in our lives will continue to do and say hurtful things sometimes – we have to accept that people are the way they are and that we can’t change them. The only changes we can make are in ourselves. Just as we don’t have to answer the phone every time it rings, we don’t have to react to every irritation we feel. With enough practice, we can learn to laugh at pettiness that at one time could have made us cry.
I will learn to be discerning about whose remarks to take to heart. I will often counsel myself to consider the source.
~ Days of Healing, Days of Joy ~ June 7; HMS
