the best advice I ever received

 
The best advice I ever received came from my mother during an especially challenging and personally unsatisfying period in which my boss was the source of all grief:
 

Everything you’re
 
going through
 
is building
 
character
 
in you.
 

It was truly a light bulb moment for an almost-thirty-year-old who had only recently returned to her faith and was striving for excellence and a deeper relationship with Jesus. I think this may have been the exact moment I realized how phenomenal my mother is… and had always been, despite my lack of understanding. It wasn’t until adulthood that this daddy’s girl understood the depth of my mother’s love and sacrifice for her family. For me. We’ve been building an incredible friendship ever since. And I’ve never forgotten her sage words on that day. Whenever I experience something particularly challenging or stressful, and especially when I cannot understand the why of a situation or a person’s behavior, I remember the words of my mother. Every moment is building character in me.
 

Thanks, Mom! You truly are amazing.    ♥    Happy YOU day!