The Eye of Art (pt. III) By Sharyl Friend

Words I Live By...

Throughout my Life and experiences of 50 yrs, I've learned...

"Everything happens for a Reason.
Everything Matters."

When my daughter, Taryn was growing up shed ask me, "Why do bad/good things happen this/that way, and not the way we want them to, Mom?"

Shrugging a bit, I answered her, "Because everything happens for a reason. We may not like, nor understand why today, but will learn the reason someday."
"Oh." Taryn would answer disappointedly.

Poor kid.
She was just a wee too smart for her own good. She'd constantly ask me questions like this, and I'd come up with the best answers I could at the time, and so she'd understand them for the age she was at the time she'd be asking.

The second part of this quote I'm famously known for saying, came during Taryn's difficult teen years.
Her answer for everything was, "Whatever."
I'm sure you've answered your folks this very same way.
I did! Lol!

One afternoon when Taryn came home after school, she started doing her homework.
She came to a word she didn't know the definition of and asked me.
She pronounced the word incorrectly, so I corrected her.
She pronounced the word incorrectly again, so I pronounced it a second time.
She became irritated and said, "Whatever, Mom! It doesn't matter! I only have to read this chapter, so I can answer the questions on my ditto sheet!" Just tell me what it means!"
(Fresh kid!)

Hmmm.....! Not!
I told her, "Pronouncing the word correctly most certainly does matter! Now you can go look it up in the Dictionary! (Computers were just beginning to get popular for in home use! Lol! Cell phones were just coming out, too!)

As a parent, I then proceeded to lecture her on not saying, "Whatever" to everything, and that Everything Matters!"

Now Taryn is 27 yrs old and in College!
She admits now....I was right!

And, you know something?
So was my Mom!
I learned, "Patience is a Virtue" from her.

When raising Taryn, I sure learned that!