#princess2015la and her grandmother, moi, made strawberry preserves today. Her mom’s homemade brioche is usually paired with my #homemadestrawberrypreserves and homemade #peanutbutter.

She helped me remove the stems and she loved helping. I made the sugar syrup, boiled the fruit and 4 pounds of fruit yielded five 8 oz. jars, costing $4 per jar for raw fruits. No wonder the manufacturers charge at least $15 a bottle.

Lesson of the day:

“Grandma, I now have two relatives who hurt my feelings.”

“Oh, how is that?”

“Remember M who punched me in my belly when I slept in her house? This weekend, E hurt my feelings too and pinched me.”

Grandma: “I am so sorry that happened. Next time that happens, walk up to their parents to tell them what happened. You can also walk up to them, look them in the eyes and say STOP, and let them know your feelings were hurt.”

Apo: “But, why do they hurt others, Grandma?”

Grandma: “Understand them as they maybe are hurting at home, too. But, never ever allow them to physically hurt you. Forgive them.

You know why sometimes they hurt others? When you have a good heart that loves others and you consciously don’t hurt them, they want to challenge you to see if you would still be kind.”

Apo: “Don’t worry, Grandma, I will never throw my heart away.”

Grandma: “I don’t get it. Can you explain?”

Apo: “Grandma, when you throw away your heart, you become sassy and bossy.”

Grandma: “How do you know all these?”

Apo: “I watch people Grandma.”

Reflection: Notice how emotionally intelligent she is, she is able to pick up the lessons on people’s behaviors. I try to let her explain to me her point of view by asking questions a lot. I also try to have many teaching moments about empathy, caring, kindness, and love.

#micasadeamore