A simple word....Yes!

There are blogs I read for fun and there are those that I read knowing full well that whatever they will post about, will bless me, will open my eyes, will make me stop and think.

It happened to me last night as I was scrolling through a couple of blogs, I came across a blog merely by coincidence, it was one of those, follow from a favorite to another to another to another and end up there, kinda thing.

And I'm beating myself up over the fact that I completely forgot to subscribe and I closed down my browser before bookmarking it, at least. I've already decided that I will try to retrace my steps in the hopes of finding this amazing blog again....sad, when you can't even remember the name.

But what caught my attention was the post about a simple little word.....YES!

It made me stop in my tracks and made me realize that it's a word I don't use as much as I should with my children.

How many times have I found myself saying no, and for no apparent reason, maybe just out of habit, it easily slips out of my mouth.

Can we go to the park? No we can't today. Mommy can we bake a cake? No, I don't have time for that. Mommy can we watch a movie together right now? No, not now, I'm reading this book.

Why? Why do I so easily say no when saying yes would have meant so much more to my children. Do you know how many times I've had my kids come to me and start the sentence with "I know you're going to say no, but..............".

It's pretty sad that they know me as the No person, when in actuality I want them to know me as the Yes mommy, as the mommy that made all their dreams come true, as the mommy that made all these memories that will last them eternity.

I'm tired of saying No, I'm determined to start saying Yes more. Oh I know there are certain things that a No is absolutely needed for, but most of things we say no to are just little things that we could easily accomplish and which would mean so much to a child.

I started last night, I was getting my menus and grocery lists ready when Nicholas came bouncing onto my bed with a book in hand....Mommy can you read me this story now? I kid you not when I tell you that without even thinking, the word No flew out of my mouth, and then I saw his eyes and I realized that I hadn't even thought before speaking.

So I changed that, I put my things aside and said "You know what? YES, yes I can"....and for the next 30 minutes we read, cuddled in bed, his little head laying on my shoulder and big smile on his face. All it took was me saying Yes!

The blog owner had a very good point, in that when we stop to think about everything we say no to, it doesn't just end with our children, we say no to everything...to ourselves, no I can't be that, no I can't ever do that.

We say no to God, and this one hurts me the most, how many times have I said no to Him? No, I don't want it when you think it's the right time, I want it now. No I don't want to face this trial, this tribulation, no....no.....no.

Such a small word but yet, such a strong exclamation and such a powerful dasher of dreams and hopes.

I'm determined to change that, I'm determined to say yes more and to see just how it will change my life. No is being left behind, being left to the truly serious things in life and I'm embracing Yes with a passion.

If you only knew how I feel like saying NO right now, no to this new way of thinking, No to saying NO. But I'm saying yes, I will try my best and Yes I may falter and fall along the way and revert back to old habits, but I'll pick myself back up and move on.

Yes I like that!