Quote of the day....

"Certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else."
(David A. Bednar, "And Nothing Shall Offend Them," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 90)



I subscribed a while ago to LDS Gems on the church website www.lds.org, and every day I receive a "gem" in my inbox. I really look forward to reading them. It's so weird how it always seems to be exactly what I need to learn, hear, or be reminded of at that moment.

I thought this was a really important one to share! I especially like the first line where it says people can do "clumsy" things to offend us. It really stuck out to me because I know I am guilty of assuming when people offend me that it is intentional. It's important to remember that sometimes people offend us by accident! I know I have definitely been an accidental offender :)

Joe, my mentor teacher who is in the classroom right next to me, besides saving my butt several times over the last two years, has taught me a really valueable lesson. In dealing with students, parents of students, friends, and even family sometimes, it is inevitable that someone will say or do something to hurt us (intentional, accidental, or maybe even through our own misperception!) Joe always reminds me to "Be a duck!" by letting things roll off your back. So I am trying to remember to be a better duck and shake things off instead of becoming offended. Quack, quack :)