Raising Magnolias

Bless Your Heart.

Person A is angry with Person B.

Person A makes decisions based on anger with Person B but doesn’t want Person C to know.

Person C says to me, (I’m not sure who I am here….maybe person E?) and C says to me, “Why can’t A just say it. A and B need to talk about it.”

And I hear the heart of C.

And I know you’re confused. So I am.

Try to follow.

C is saying, “Just tell the truth, already.”

And I smile a little bit.

A, B, C and well, E. We were raised in the South.

In certain circumstances truth telling is actually frowned upon.

We say things like, “Bless her heart.”

That’s code for “Did you see how terrible she looks?”

Or, Bless her heart, “Can you believe how poorly behaved her children are?”

Or, Bless her heart, “I’m so glad I’m not turning 40 and single and trying to raise 2 children in a town where the average income for a single Mom is $18,000 a year and Winter lasts 9 months and the wind blows all. the. time. I just don’t know how she does it.

Bless her heart.

I think I strayed from the topic there for a second.

I smile and I laugh.

At person C.

A and B and you and me.

We aren’t wired for telling the truth.

Not really.

Not conflict truth and hard truth and ugly, I’m gonna make you cry, truth.

Remember the whole snake and Eve fiasco?

We lie to protect.

Others.

And ourselves.

I’m so tired of lying. Of liars.

And this has nothing to do with Person A or B.

This has to do with Person D.

No. That was a joke.

I’m weary of liars. Of cowards.

Whose truth is too hard.

Today a friend posted a blog called “Why I hate February.”

Uplifting? Inspriational? Motivating?

Not so much.

But she’s just trying to tell the truth (Bless her heart!) 🙂

I know that we judge others for the.very.thing. that we ourselves do.

And I lied. For many years.

To my Mom. I am happy. All is well.

To my Dad. I am happy. All is well.

To my self. You can fake happy. You can fake feeling loved. You can fake that all is well.

All is grace, but all is not well.

Suck.It.Up. That’s the message, right?

No pain. No gain.

Just do it.

But God does not say suck it up. He says breathe it out.

I mean I think He says that. Somewhere for sure he says that.

Breathe it out.

Let it go. I already know the truth. So tell it to me. Fall onto Me and into Me and I won’t bless your heart.

I will bless you.

Telling the truth is hard and facing the truth is hard and we fall and we fail and we tell our children that the shots won’t hurt or the broccoli tastes good and we lie and yes knowing this, I am working towards grace.

For the liars.

I will work toward forgivness.

I will extend grace.

I will withhold judgement.

But know this. I’m writing a book. And if you lie to me and you hurt me and betray my trust and you make me question my the very essence of who I am because I do trust and because I do believe.

Yes, if you do this. Also know this.

I’m writing a book and there will be a chapter.

Just for you.

And I can hear the faint southern drawl of my faithful readers. Reading, reading, reading and—

Well

Bless

His

Heart!