Year Of Focus: Week 22 - Honesty

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” ~Thomas Jefferson

The Year of Focus: Week 22

Word of Week: Honesty

the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.

Growing up, my sister was always the great storyteller of childhood memories, but occasionally I will slip down memory lane recalling a memory from our childhood. And for some reason, when I saw the word for this week about honesty, a childhood memory from our parents about honesty bubbled to the surface. 

Although the memory is still a bit fuzzy, the message remained. It was one of our first times staying home alone, during  a period of trust building. If our parents let the four of us stay home together for a few hours, we would be good. During one such event, while they were gone, we broke a ceiling light by throwing a ball in the basement. However small that act feels today, back then it was significant enough to have us worried for our parents return.

When our parents returned, we did not admit to the whodunit right away, so they began with a lesson on honesty instead of punishment and asked for the truth of what happened. Once we caved and described what had happened none of us were punished. This powerful message from my childhood remains with the reminder that even though speaking the truth can be scary, there is relief and trust that is built in the process. The gentle lesson my parents provided by having us tell the truth was an early lesson in honesty.

May - Personal Development