 I recently had the opportunity to participate in a process that I personally feel I was truly under qualified to take part in. That being said, I was flattered, honored and slightly horrified. But what the process was isn’t important. It’s what I learned. What I discovered about myself and others that made the lasting impact I wasn’t expecting. Insight into those around you is invaluable. Understanding about why human beings say the things they say, act the way they act and do the things they do can make you super insecure. Or if you sit quietly and digest the information you have gathered, you can let it grow and develop you. In the past I have relied on the dictionary to define words for me. As part of this process people were asked to describe what words meant to them and how they applied them in their life and work. For weeks, the following words have snuck into my thoughts. While changing a diaper. While watching the dog dig through a giant pile of wood. As sleep eluded me……again. During my few quiet moments in the morning with my bible and coffee. And in the midst of the evening chaos, bellowing, laughter and dishes.  Honesty. Pride. Integrity. The externalization of my month long inner thoughts, deliberation and understanding. Honesty: To tell the truth. To be direct. No matter how hard. To be able to look someone in the eye with no reservations. NOT beating it around the bush. Strait up. Strait laced. Sincere. To mean it from the bottom of your existence. Pride: A feeling of satisfaction in what you have accomplished. Knowing that you gave it your best. The glowing, shiny, exploding feeling you have inside when you do something correct, in-spite of what was going on around you. Integrity: Doing the right thing. Sticking to your morals, ethics and beliefs. Being consistently you. Everywhere. In all situations. Always. Not just when you know you will be recognized for it. Or when someone might be watching. But even when you know that no one will ever know. Whether you do it right. Or wrong. I have found that these three go hand in hand. Sometimes they arrive together. Other times one leads and the others follow. Situation dependent. As a parent, these qualities have been exercised far beyond my greatest expectations. I refuse to lie. Nothing is candy coated. I be as loving, guiding and understanding as I think humanly possible in all situations. I am certain that I fall short. But I try. And at the end of each day or challenge to know you never gave up. To be able to say you were real and didn’t falter from who you are. To have given it your all. That, my friend, is the joy of realizing true honesty, pride and integrity. 
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