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CTC Readers' Poll:
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"Know
when NOT to talk. "A wise lady once told me 'Don't forget, in the dark, what God told you in the light.' Sometimes, when God tells us to do something like: simplify, homeschool or something else (fill in the blank), it seems such an easy thing when we are first told and we are filled with emotion. But then when we are in the dark (stress, fear, worry etc.), we have to remember what God told us, in the light, and trudge on!" ~ Carrie, VA "Long ago when my Dad was considered marrying a young lady, his older brother told him to watch how she treated her family because ultimately that is how she would treat him. He decided not to marry her and married my Mom instead! Wise words to live by!" ~ M "My mom has a saying that I still quote today:
'Use
it up, wear it out, make do, or do without!'" ~ Christine
"In raising children, 'Be the person
you want them to be.'" ~ Anonymous
"When my children were small my mother
shared this advice. If you say 'no,' mean it and follow
through. If you don't mean it don't say it. My
children soon learned that if said no we meant it. It eliminated
a lot of problems through the years. We've stuck to this advice
with our grandchildren too." ~ Nancy
"I once heard this on the radio: 'The difference between a marriage and a good marriage is 50% left unsaid.' There were many times when I wanted to say something to my husband (usually along the lines of 'I told you so'), but I remembered to use up my 50% quota." ~ Sandra in San Francisco "I think it is important to have family mottoes. Ours are, 'What return will I make to the Lord for all He has done for me?', from Psalm 116, and 'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.' I think that one came from Bambi!" ~ Kathy "Life advice I wish I had known since youth. This is attributed to Maya Angelou: 'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'" ~ Lula "Don't mess in your own nest." ~ Katrina "'Wait on the Lord. " Life just became so much better. Contentment came and security in knowing the Lord is in control. This is the best advice I have ever been given. " ~ Francine "Quote from a minister one Sunday night: 'It is better to wish that you were married than to wish that you were not'". ~ Judy
"I learned this one from Oprah: 'Don't
take anything personally, it's not about you.'" ~
Suzie
"My husband's grandmother (whom I love and listen intently to) told me to forgive the little things when it comes to my husband's mother. I have taken this to heart. The Lord has showed me that thinking negative thoughts can birth negative actions and then your whole household is in bondage to negativity." ~ Charlotte "My mother had a rule for everything. As
I got older I really understood what a smart person
she was. Here are a couple of her rules: "My mother always told us not to ask our dad anything before dinner. She was so right! After he had come home from a long, hard day at work, sitting down with the family and having dinner together made him much more receptive to what we had to say than hitting him with it as soon as he walked in the door." ~ Candy <>< "In regards to poor service at a business: 'The first time is their mistake; the second time is yours.'" ~ Sherrie
"I once heard the adage: 'Never
stop hugging first.' I have used this advice with
my children and believe it to be a wonderful way to
connect with my children at their comfort level." ~
Bobbie
"Upon having my first child, a good friend of mine said, 'Never say never!' In other words don't start judging other mothers and say, 'Oh, I will never do such and such with my child,' because you just never know what you may end up doing. It is so true. I've tried to live by that and it does help me to refrain from judging the practices of other mothers." ~ Liz "After experiencing a horrific marriage and finally being set free, the pastor's wife shared with me the advice she had given to her girls. It helped me immeasurably and I have passed it on to my girls: 'If he doesn't treat you like a princess, he isn't the prince.'" ~ Jacqui "Does it have to be advice we actually used?! The best piece of advice I ever received was: (this was in the seventies, so consider that women were just making an impact in the workforce) 'If you both work, live on one income.' Now that we DO live on one income, I realize what he meant!" ~ Anonymous "The best advice I ever got was from my friend, Judy Baer, the author of 'The Whitney Chronicles' as well as many other books. She was famous in our small town as an author of books geared toward teen girls before she moved to Minneapolis, started writing adult fictions and became a Life Coach. I knew her, but we did not become friends until after she experienced two devastating, life changing events. During one of our long talks she gave me this wise counsel: 'It is hardly ever necessary to be unkind.' Over the years, those words have helped me to think before I speak or act." ~ Brenda
My favorite piece of advice to my kids: 'You'll
never be happy if you look at the world through
green eyes.'" ~ Mary Ann
"My mom always told me that 'you can catch more flies with honey.' When I was younger I was quick to speak my mind -- pleasant or not -- which caused me trouble on occasion. My mom always said it was better to be sweet than sour and words once spoken could not be taken back. This still holds true today." ~ Rhonda "My mom always quoted 'Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor's house lest he be weary of thee and so hate thee' from Proverbs. I want my friends and acquaintances to be glad when I come, not when I leave!" ~ Esther "The best advice I ever received was from a Sister of St. Joseph. She said, 'You can choose to have a good day or you can choose to be miserable. Which do you choose?'" ~ Barbara "'If you're going to be able to look back at this someday and laugh, you might as well laugh about it right now.' 'I wept because I had no shoes. Then I saw a man with no feet.'" ~ Beth "My mother always said, 'Actions speak louder than words.' When I was younger I would get my hopes up about different boyfriends' promises, promotions, and various things people would offer throughout life. I would, of course, be disappointed when their words proven to be empty promises or just words. So I started watching folks after they spoke to see what would happen. It didn't take me long to realize who would treat their words as an oral agreement or it was just verbal hogwash. While this has proven to be helpful in avoiding disappointment in life, this has also made me a better person since I watch my words closely to avoid hurting others. Thanks, Mom!" ~ June "Someone once told me to look at all problems from the vantage point of the future. For instance, when an accident happens or someone mistreats you, how important will this seem to you next year, five years from now, 25 years from now. This really helped one summer when my husband caused two minor traffic accidents in which no one was injured and the cars were able to drive away. I didn't freak out and I didn't accuse him of being a poor driver, which I would have done in the past. This helped my stress and our relationship. A similar tactic is to remove yourself from planet earth. In other words, would the crew of the space shuttle flying around the planet be able to see this 'disaster'? If not, maybe it's not so bad after all." ~ Melody
Editor's Note: Thanks to all these readers who took time to write! |
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