LLL: Are You the "Real McCoy"?

"Today you are You. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You!" ~Dr. Seuss

LIVIN' LOVIN' LIFE: By Just Being YOU!

I'm a night owl. My husband's an early bird. I have to work very hard on being neat and organized. My older sister has always been naturally that way. I'm a glass half-full kind of girl. I have friends that tend to see more the glass half-empty. I don't particularly enjoy cooking on a regular basis, that's why there's Wegman's (sorry, I had to put that in here after this week...). Some of my good friends make 5-star meals every night. I like having a pool. My husband would prefer a pond or lake. I love chocolate, but am not so fond of sea food. My husband loves sea food, but could take or leave chocolate. I love Diet Coke and wine. My husband enjoys a glass of water or cold beer. I'm an extrovert. My brother's an introvert. My kids attend public school. Other friends' kids go to private schools or are home schooled. I love to laugh. My husband is more serious and rarely laughs at my jokes. I love country music. I have friends that don't know a single country song (or at least won't admit to it). The list goes on and on regarding how my likes, personality, and skills are different than many of my friends and family's, and that's OK.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14

It took me a long time to be able to say.... "I like this and you don't. That's OK." Once I not only voiced those words, but also believed them, the freedom I felt was unbelievable. I realized that I will never please everyone, that everyone will not like me, and that's OK. I could finally be me.... just plain, old "me"! If I try to change who I am simply to get another person's approval, chances are pretty good that I will be the recipient of someone else's "disapproval". So, why not be myself and start enjoying who I was made to be?



Funny thing, I had been telling my boys this ever since they were born (I guess I'm just a little slow with my own advice.)....

"There are only a couple of things that I know at this point that I want to make sure you learn and become. I want to teach you to always respect others' feelings and be careful not to intentionally hurt others. I also want you to learn to respect yourself and become the best person possible. When I say the best, I am not talking about smarts or talents, but rather the best person on the inside.I hope I can teach you to love and care for others. To try to see good in people. And to realize we are not all the same; it's alright to be different.... Life is wonderful when you respect yourself and others." Excerpt from a letter I wrote to Austin when he was 3 months old.


"It's been awesome watching you grow into an amazing young man, with an adventurous spirit, love for life, & unbelievable talent for fixing things! Enjoy life, be who God made you to be & make the years to come great ones! We love you! Mom & Dad." The message submitted for Austin's senior yearbook from his parents

Thank goodness this was one piece of advise Austin listened to, from a very early age. He wasn't afraid to be the "real McCoy" and as a result he blessed so many people!

"The real McCoy": an idiom used in much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article"

Austin was "the real McCoy". He was authentic! You knew from the minute you met him what you were getting. There was no guessing. Austin may have pretended, on occasion, to know a little more than he really knew (and he could be very convincing), but he never pretended to be someone he wasn't. This allowed Austin to live life to the fullest and is why he touched so many lives in the 21-3/4 years he was here with us.

"That's OK if you don't like it, I do..." are nine words everyone should learn to say. Because frankly, individuality is what makes each of us so unique. How boring it would be if we were all alike, but for some reason I see so many people, including at times myself, try to be someone they aren't.When we aren't ourselves we rob others the joy of truly knowing us, and we rob ourselves of being able to really live life to the fullest.

"If you are not yourself, if you surrender your personality, you have nothing left to give the world. You have no pleasure, no use, nothing which will attract and charm me, for by the suppression of your individuality, you lose your distinctive character." Edward Wilmot Blyden

Go be yourself and start truly Livin' Lovin' Life and in-turn bless those around you!!!