Apologies Can Be Sweet

I've always loved the saying, "Lord, let my words be sweet today, for I may have to eat them tomorrow."

Recently, our community had a bit of drama. During this time, rumors flew, and facts did, too. I tend to stick to facts. I'm a sharer by nature. I love doing our community newsletter because I can find and share news for our people to use. During this community worry and trouble, some facts turned out to be incorrect later. The problem is that I had already shared these facts, and strongly. I had been a bit too firm in insisting to a neighbor that my facts were surely correct because of who had given them to me.

Well, today, I had to eat my words. I found that the "facts" were not factual. The problem was that I had already "shared" these facts with quite a few other people in here. Apparently the person who told me these facts had found out they were not true, but didn't have time to let me know before I had spread the incorrect version of the story.

I've got to share a secret with you. I hate apologizing. But I hate egg on my face even more. I hate to appear the fool, especially when waiting a bit longer would have prevented the confusion. So my secret is a tip: I have learned, the hard, hard way, that it is far easier to apologize ASAP and get it over with. Thinking about it, dwelling on it, dreading it - these things make it even more difficult.

I made my apologies this morning. I was relieved when the main person I needed to apologize to was sweet enough to ease my embarrassment and discomfort by saying that there was no need - we all, she said, make mistakes in judgment from time to time, and she knew I trusted my source and was not just spreading idle gossip.

If I had waited and waited to do this, it would have become a dreaded big deal. As it stands now, I am relieved, and I have learned yet another lesson in life - think before I speak. Somehow, knowing me, learning the lesson will be far different from putting my knowledge into action.

Lord, thank you for encouraging me to apologize and get it over with; and bless that woman for her kindness in making a difficult moment easier to bear.