Fat Tuesday

I know you're going to think I'm being alittle silly, but I have never liked the term 'Fat Tuesday'. I'm not Catholic so I'm not savvy on the reasons for the name or why Mardi Gras is celebrated. However, as an overweight child, every Tuesday was "fat" for me. Some people would try to be nice and would refer to be as "big-boned" (ugh! I didn't like that one either because there's not a big bone in my body). Being called "big-boned" was just a nice way of saying "bless her heart".

Children can be cruel. Even though I'm not that chubby, curly-haired, glasses wearing, metal mouth little girl anymore, those words still strike a cord in me to this day. To only make things worse, when I would tell people what I wanted to be one day, they would laugh and point fingers at me while chuckling.

The other day, I heard Gracie refer to baby Will as "fat" and I came unglued. I don't know where Gracie heard fat before, but I made sure she understood she was to never, ever call someone fat again. "But mommy," she said, "somebody in Walmart called baby Will fat." At that point, I knew Gracie was being the human tape recorder that she is.

Dear God, help me to remember that words can make or break someone's spirit, and that I am to build people up, not tear them down.