EXPOSED!

As is typical in our home, when one misdeed is discovered, it leads to the discovering of several that resulted in one of the most emotionally exhausting days I have had in a very very long time.

From start to finish, between getting work done, I was dealing with all kinds of drama based on things I was discovering our teenagers have been doing and keeping for us. The whole thing resulted in something that has never before happened in our home.

Bart called a family meeting and spoke first -- and the entire meeting not a single person at the table besides Bart and I said a single word. I think they could tell that both of us were at our wits end with their choices.

I don't know if it will make a difference. I sure hope it will. Because we need them to start living up to their potential. We aren't asking for more.

But it was once again an opportunity for us to re-emphasize our "We live, we love, we forgive and we never give up" philosophy. That's been the ring tone on my phone for years because I need to remember it as the calls come in that provide me with one more thing to forgive.

I was having a conversation with a teenager who is not mine last night but who was involved in the drama. I explained to her that resentment, anger, and refusal to forgive hurt the person who is harboring those feelings a lot more than they hurt those they are directed towards.

We communicated our disappointment and hurt to our children. We explained to them the importance of them finding new ways to live and make better decisions. But we also told them we loved them. We told them "tomorrow is a new day." And we told them that we forgave them.

And we were right. Today is a new day.