I watched the news last night, and I was taken aback at the newscasters warm, caring words bestowed on his colleague.

She was out in the pouring rain reporting the weather and floods. He said " I just want you to know we all appreciate what you do everyday." Wow. . . that was so kind, I'm sure it made the rest of her evening of trudging through the rain a lot easier to deal with. He touched my heart, and I'm wondering how many other hearts he touched by his kind words.

Everyone needs to feel appreciated, needed, loved. Words of encouragement can make all the difference in life. Yet compliments, and words of love, are not so freely given, making the journey in life a much arduous travel.

I was raised in a family where is was easier to find fault in others rather than find the good. Even until this day, at 45 years old, if my mother told me I did something good, I would fall to the ground. Yet she can tell me 10 things I didn't do right in a day. I realized that my brothers, and sisters were identical, as was I, and our children following the same ways. One day I apologized to my son and daughter, and begged them to change the baggage I had instilled in them.

Acknowledging the negative traits you were raised with, and squashing them, is so freeing.  Some of what we don't like about ourselves stems from how we were raised. I feel blessed that I am aware and work everyday on changing. It is never too late to start doing that. I've learned that I don't always have to be right, it doesn't always have to be the way I think it should be. I respect others opinions and find fault with very few. Happy is the man that realizes and changes.

I don't feel resentment or bitterness, in how I was raised. I concentrate on the goodness and I work on the negatives.

If I trace it back, to my grandfather, and his mother and so on and so on . . . well the buck stops here ::::grin:::::

It is so important, especially parents of young children, all day everyday acknowledge the good your children do.

Children are what they are brought up to be. If they are brought up with criticism they learn to criticize. Don't wait until your child is grown to realize this. You can change your old habits today. Complimenting children, adults, friends, family and telling them they did good, will not only boost their self esteem, it will make you change to seek only the good in others.