The Bucket and the Dippers

So, I'm trying to do some inspirational reading on Sundays along with the other uplifting activities we already have. I've been reading Mary Ellen Edmunds, MEE Speaks. She has a sense of humor, tons of experience, and really just tells it like it is. I like that in any woman, but especially an LDS woman. Stand up and be counted, I say.

In today's reading, she says that we all have buckets. These buckets hold our good stuff..."peace, comfort, love, joy, strength and such." We can help fill each other's buckets with "hugs, listening, sincere praise, pointing out strengths, being sensitive to needs (and doing something about them when you can), cheerfulness, honest, patience..."

But, then there are our dippers. We each have one, and we can get our dippers in others buckets. Instead of positive uplifting, we point out faults, criticize, ignore, and chastise. We need to recognize right away when we have our dippers in someone's bucket and start filling it instead.

She also points out that when our buckets are empty, we act differently. We push people away, try to put the "lid" on our buckets, and don't have anything to give to others. So, if we just work to always fill buckets, instead of dipping in buckets, we will find ours filling too. We'll be overflowing and have so much more to give.

I love that. I'm a visual person, and I like the idea of me pouring love into someone else's bucket. I'm going to work on that. I think people know their faults enough. We don't need to keep pointing them out. And what is that saying-- that when you point at someone there's 3 fingers pointing back at yourself? I don't need that. So, here's to filling the buckets, to overflowing. We can do it! Anyone with me?