As iron sharpens iron

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 NLT

What would I do without the gentle wisdom of family and friends over the years?

This week I sent a rough…rough…draft to some people and each one provided feedback…corrections…suggestions…encouragement.

What one missed, another caught and I was amazed at how much I needed other eyes and minds to help me sharpen something that matters to me. I am so grateful and humbled to have them give of their time to assist me <3

It made me think of so many helpful people God has placed along the way and so to end the week, I am sharing just FIVE pieces of words of wisdom I have been blessed to have bestowed on me over the years:

1. When I was dating Russ, his dad let me try operating their rider lawn mower. It was comical, dangerous and very unproductive to grooming their yard. I felt like a failure. Russ’s words to me when I was finished were to ask me to think how many lawns I had mowed and how many riding mowers I had used. Answer to both was ZERO. Then I did pretty good for a first time he said. I have remembered those words often when I am trying to do something new. Remember when you are trying something new or learning a skill to cut yourself some slack!

2. A friend encouraged me when I was facing a daunting task to break it down into components. When I thought about the parts that made up the whole, it was not so intimidating. Remember that sometimes we procrastinate because the big picture is too overwhelming…when the task ahead seems impossible to complete, try zooming in closer on the parts that make up the whole. 

3. This next one is not life changing, but hey it’s Friday. I always had trouble spelling separate…as in seperate. Until my mom taught me…separate, there is always “a rat” in the middle. I never spell separate that I don’t repeat that little phrase in my head. I also never fail to wonder if there was some sort of double meaning that escaped me then and now…but I also never spell separate incorrectly.

4. My mom is also responsible for this helpful piece of knowledge. God love her, when calculating measurements for  ingredients she always began with, “Well, a pint’s a pound the world around.” … and from that we would figure how many ounces are in a pint and a pound and then work out the math. I can’t tell you how many times I have helped someone debating which size to buy in the grocery aisle with this invaluable math equation.

And then….this gem of wisdom that I was given tonight….

5. From 4 year old Graham. When we told him we had to go home because we are going to work tomorrow, he suggested we pay somebody to do our jobs for us…Now why didn’t we think of that?

I hope you have some treasures in your memories of wisdom from the precious people God has placed around you through the years…would love to hear what your favorites are and who you learned them from <3

God bless you all with a great weekend!