Four Very Important Words

There are some “things” in life that you must have in order to live a happy, healthy life. You may think, “That’s a given…we already know that.”

If you’re saying that, I’d ask you to look back at your life. Look at the happy times and look at the bad. More likely than not, you had certain things in your life when you were the happiest. And during the harder times, one or more of those things were lacking or weren’t there at all.

There are four very important words in life: love, honesty, truth, respect. Without these in your life, you have nothing.

Love makes everything beautiful. And to be happy, love has to work both ways for you. You love and you are loved. I’ve often heard it said that if you have love, you have everything. It is almost everything, but not quite. Love encompasses a lot of factors within our relationships and our lives.

Honesty plays a big part in our happiness. You have to be honest with everyone, including yourself. When you are not honest with yourself, you lose trust in yourself. And it is the same with everyone else. If you can’t be honest, no one will trust you. There’s nothing that kills a relationship faster than losing trust.

Always live your truth. Be authentic. Be who God made you to be. Get up in the morning being you, go about your day being you and go to bed at night being you. Be someone who projects truth without apologizing for it.

Respect is one of the most important things in our lives. It must be present in our homes, our work places, our schools, our Churches, everywhere. Treat people how you want to be treated. And show extra love and care toward the elderly and the disabled. Our elderly population is often forgotten about. Respect for them in their later years should not be less than what it was when they were younger. Respect for yourself and each other is paramount to living a healthy and happy life.

Sending you blessings of love and gratitude from Sterrett, Alabama!

Charity M. Richey-Bentley