If you don’t know, now you know… I’ve been pushing family for a long time. And I still believe “What you appreciate, appreciates.” One thing that I’ve done over and over. I’ve helped my family see myself as an appreciating asset to the family. Because, what you appreciate, appreciates.

Every day, I have taught my children to make key investments into themselves and into their families and everything else will come along. That’s the difficult part that we have to believe and trust. But waiting on the manifestation can really make us impatient. I’ve been right where you are. It’s tough waiting. I’ve been waiting on the manifestation of my family to show up in the lives of my children. And today… I see it. Appreciation has been made possible to them. Because, what you appreciate, appreciates. 

The time we invest in our families will never be wasted. It’s the core of life that God has created from the beginning with Adam and Eve. Well! I won’t go into the story. But, you get my point. As God created it, shouldn’t we believe that He knows what He is doing? Let me answer that… Of course, we should. God knows what He is doing. 

Consequently, we just have to be willing to do the work and wait on the manifestation of it. Because, what you appreciate, appreciates. 

With this in mind, my teenage grandson has inherited a father. You’re probably thinking “inherited.” How can that happen? Well! I looked up the word inherited and it means–to come into possession of (belongings) from someone else. I used the word inherited because that’s what happened to my grandson. He has inherited an amazing father or his father has inherited an amazing, brillant, young son. 

I’m simply in tears at this point because family is such a real big thing. 

Nonetheless, since my grandson has inherited a father [my son-in-love], they have both taken the time to appreciate life, happiness and wellness. It’s never too late to appreciate. Never!

Let me say that again. It’s never too late to appreciate life. Never! It’s also important for me to say… If you don’t have family, you don’t have anything. Or, if you’re upset with family and you’re walking through unforgiveness. Could it be time to return…? Want Better? Forgive. Here’s 7 Ways to do it. 

So is it okay for me to say again what you appreciate, appreciates? And wouldn’t it be great if every day was a day we could be appreciated or appreciate?

Well, here goes… You can! My aim is to be a phenomenal mother and grandmother every single day. I plan to leave everything inside of me behind for my children’s children. Proverbs 13:22

Speaking of children’s children, my grandson Carron is an amazing baseball player [back-catcher at that]. He was asked to practice and try-out with the number one team in the state a few months ago. In my mind, his time is coming. He’s just that good. 

But, I struggle with him eating the dust of every batter when they come to the pitcher’s mound. In the words of my daughter… “Ma! It’s a part of the game.” Me: Whew! I guess. 

This appreciation lesson left me speechless. 

The other night he had the opportunity to scrimmage against the same team. Those boys look like giants and those balls were being pitched across the pitcher’s mound about 75 mph. Right! My thoughts exactly. And everyone on the team was multi-talented. Also, get this! The back-catcher on the team is number one in state and 14th in the nation.

How intimidating is that? 

As I watched my grandson, he was totally out of rhythm. He couldn’t seem to find himself. His father went to the dugout to ask him a couple of times what was wrong with him? He said… “I’m not sure dad!” [Trust me! He knew]. We all said pretty much at the same time. “He had become too comfortable with the routine of baseball, the relationships and the conversations he had established with the other players on the opposite team. Therefore, it was different being an opponent. 

During the last ending, [about 9:30 p.m.], it was his turn to bat. He was different this time leaving the dugout. As he stood on the pitcher’s mound with the number one back-catcher in the state eating the dust from his shoes, the pitcher threw 2-strikes across home plate at 75 mph. On the third strike, my grandson hit the ball. We all stood up [motionless-breathless] and watched the ball in the air as it dropped to the ground 3-feet from going over the fence. 

He made it to first base! His coach, team and family was so proud of him. After the game, we couldn’t tell him anything. In short, he had family watching, cheering and appreciating this rough start. But the most amazing thing of all. His inherited father stood proudly with his hands in his pocket gazing at his son the entire time as he struggled to find his rhythm again. 

The stance at the fence and the proud look on his father’s face never changed. What you appreciate, appreciates. Carron knew his father appreciated him as a son and the appreciation wasn’t taken for granted.

In other words, every day is not going to be an amazing day with your family. No matter how many posts we see about family on our social media platforms. Our families are not always going to be amazing. But one thing holds true. What we give purely to our families, we will get it back in great return.

By the same token, this is key to continuing to have great healthy relationships, whether they have been inherited or not. 

For this reason, let me encourage you to start by savoring the sweet moments – Life certainly has its bad parts. But, it has its good parts too. Often, we are hyper aware of the bad experiences and overlook the sweet ones. Slooooow-doooown! No family is perfect. 

However, when we appreciate sweet moments, we can savor the experience and truly enjoy it. It’s nothing like sweet memories to appreciate. And when we enjoy these moments of smiles and laughter, then we can fill our hearts with appreciation. Because, what you appreciate, appreciates.

So, you have a family that’s waiting on you. What you appreciate, appreciates. Give yourself permission to push start. By appreciating others, you will not only make the other person feel valued, but you will enrich your life at the same time. 

Here’s a few tips I’ve used to make appreciation deposits into my family. Because I’ve learned what you appreciate, appreciates:

Put the Effort in Your Relationship to Nurture:

To maintain a healthy and time tested relationship can be taxing. It’s the time and the intentional effort you have to put into it every day to help build a stronger relationship. Also, having respect will help people appreciate their value in your life and you will eventually help them to reciprocate the same bond. Appreciation helps us get through the trials and tribulations of life and helps our relationships to become unshakable. 

Establish Unique Qualities in Others:

Every family member has a unique set of values and qualities they add to the family and the best way to appreciate a person is to recognize their uniqueness. It is the uniqueness of a person that separates them from others, and to recognize that they deserve the special attention. Besides, honing in on those special qualities helps everyone to get along and learn to understand what your appreciate, appreciates. 

Show Interest In the Life of Others:

Above all, showing sincere interest in others and the thing that matters to them, such as their hobbies, background, career, skills, and other family connections can go a long way. It’s an effective tool to make everyone feel valuable and they will be drawn towards you because of the appreciation you’ve shown them. 

Surprise People With Your Efforts of Appreciation:

Make the effort to do something special for someone else if the situation and time allows you the opportunity. A pleasant surprise helps people to feel a sense of accomplishment and importance, and it really makes their day. Appreciation always increases your value. 

To conclude, the real value of life comes from our relationships with others and how we treat them in the process of appreciation. Appreciating the good qualities of others make them eager to engage their skills with self-confidence and for the benefit of people at large. It will also give you a sense of pride for raising the level of someone’s else’s self-love. So, learn… appreciate, appreciates so others will have more love and caring relationships with each other and the people they are around every day.

CARRY ON LIVING OUTRAGEOUSLY REAL IS HERE! 

COLORs is 28 Days of Healing For Families Desiring Spiritual Restoration that challenges you to work together, learn, explore, and hold one another up, while also holding one another accountable because what you appreciate, appreciates.