“Can we pray for the family of Betty Smith? She passed away last night.”
The congregation begins to pray as the church doors open in the back. You guessed it! It was Betty Smith! I had no choice but to say, “Amen, it is a miracle! Betty is alive!”
This seemed, at the moment, the best solution to the mistake I had made. The church was full of laughter as we talked briefly about what had happened. A misunderstanding made, but a lesson in making sure to check the facts before you report.
I changed the individual’s name in my story to not make the mistake of embarrassing the person again. Mistakes are easy to make, and it is part of life. It is the lessons you learn from them that is essential.
I held the fear of not writing and sharing with others because of making mistakes. If you have ever made an error publicly and called out on it, embarrassment fills you up. I have experienced criticism of mistakes publically by letters sent to my supervisors and board that were not my mistakes. People can be very cruel. I took it, and the only thing you can do is apologize.
Never let others chip away at your confidence and efforts in sharing. My word for the year is courage. I have challenged myself to continue to write, ask questions, seek advice and guidance, and most importantly to gain feedback.
Recently, I posted a message on Facebook to celebrate our wedding anniversary! It was a great post, except after being up for two days, I noticed it was wrong. I put the wrong wedding date! What? How can I make that mistake? Well, I do it more than I realized. My wedding date is 3-30 and my daughter’s birthday is 5-31. So I posted my wedding date as 3-31. I am always thinking about her, and it makes sense to make this mistake.
“If we embrace and even study errors in our classrooms, students may learn more”-Dr. Amy L.Eva In the article Why We Should Embrace Mistakes in School looks at the importance of embracing mistakes as a learning practice—guiding children through solving problems on their own. Moving students away from answer getters to problem-solving by investing the why behind the what.
I have learned a great deal from my mistakes and continue to learn. I have many followers, and I am thankful for each one. Thank you for being the solution daily! Embrace mistakes, learn from them, and know it is okay to make them! Miracles happen!
RESOURCES
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_we_should_embrace_mistakes_in_school
Neil Gaiman on Making Mistakes
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