Day 40. The Gift of Compliment

Sometimes it's hard for us to accept compliments from other people. Especially when they refer to something we're uncomfortable about for some reason...for example, our hair isn't the way we like it, and now someone says, "Hey, I like your hair today."

It's so easy to respond with, Oh but it's such a mess. Imagine for a moment what we're actually doing when we give such a reply. We're sending the message that our friend must have poor taste or bad judgment. When she gives the compliment, she's saying she noticed something about us she likes. With our moaning response, we may be unintentionally rejecting both the gift and the giver.

We've undoubtedly all experienced a time when our own generous offer was 'thrown back' at us. It doesn't feel right, does it? There's a pause in the air, we feel slighted, and even if we don't take offence, that moment, which could have been so beautiful, has been marred.

It's as important to be a generous receiver as it is to be a generous giver. We need both givers and receivers to make any giving 'transaction' complete. Our mothers taught us to say thank you when we receive a gift. A simple thank you in response to a compliment is also good manners. It's a gracious way to acknowledge the gift and its giver.

"Everyone wants to be appreciated so if you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret." -- Mary Kay Ash

Sincere compliments may be free, but they are not cheap. They affirm us, encourage us, and lift us up. The gift of compliment...it's a beautiful way we can all live our lives more beautifully.

On that note, I want to take a few more words to thank my dearest mom for her gift of compliment to me all these years. For years, she's been encouraging me to write, telling me I have a way with words. I'm finally having the courage to write more.

Wishing you a beautiful day,
Brenda