Relationships Archives - Diana Derringer

Strangers are Friends We’ve Never Met

November 9, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

When my husband and I became a friendship family for international university students, we quickly learned that strangers are friends we’ve never met. Those young people became lifelong family and friends.

Credit for “Strangers are friends we’ve never met” varies.

According to Quote Investigator, Irish poet William Butler Yeats often receives credit for saying, “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.” However, they have not been able to verify that claim. They did find a similar line in Edgar Guest’s 1915 poem, “Faith.” It says, “That strangers are friends that we some day may meet.”

What if everyone welcomed strangers as friends?

What if:

Instead of prejudice, we looked for common traits.
Rather than suspicion, we chose to cooperate.
Instead of fighting, we sought friendship.

Let’s choose this statement’s belief and attitude.

Focus on:

Positives in one another
Possibilities for peace
Hope for a better way to live

Remain friends through thick and thin.

“Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth” (3 John 1:5, 8 NIV).

Thanks to Margie Holtzclaw for the suggestion.

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Rain Check

November 2, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

A friend recently offered to bring us a meal, an offer I never refuse! However, we had already cooked. Selfish me, I wanted my friend’s food too. What to do? I asked for a rain check.

A rain check means the promise of an offer later.

The person who made an original offer may extend it. Or the receiving person may request it.

A rain check may be formal or informal.

Formal written guarantees include:

Tickets or passes to postponed concerts or other special events
Store coupons for sold out sale items

Informal promises include:

Dinner invitations or other visits
Joint travel

This expression originated with rained out baseball games.

According to The Free Dictionary, the practice became common in the 1880s. If severe weather cancelled or ended a game early, tickets were issued for a future event. By the 1900s, the expression also applied to other events.

Rain or shine, always extend kindness.

Much that we do for one another does not depend on weather. Wherever we are and whatever we do, we can offer:

Love
Forgiveness
Encouragement

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love” (Colossians 2:2 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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Peanuts

September 14, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

One of my cousins had the childhood nickname, Peanut. Like me, she was tiny, no bigger than a minute. Family and friends were not making fun of her. They loved her and thought she was cute as a button. In fact, they loved all the peanuts among us.

In addition to snack food, peanuts refer to tiny people or small amounts of money.

Good food. Good people. Not so good on a paycheck.

Although small, peanuts we eat have much to offer.

Great taste
Healthy fats
Plant-based protein

People who are peanuts also offer much.

Small does not mean weak. We can be:

Strong
Determined
Talented

For peanuts means for a small amount of money.

We either pay or receive little for a service. However, when we pay better wages, we usually receive better service. Most of us desire a good day’s pay for a good day’s work.

Peanut gallery means cheap theater seats far from the stage.

It also means people whose opinions receive little or no respect.

The Bible teaches the importance of small things and small people.

Whether small or great, let’s respect one another.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32 ESV).

Thanks to Rebecca Stafford for the suggestion. Image by Christiane from Pixabay.

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Cut from a Different Cloth

August 31, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

My grandmother taught me to sew. We made most garments from one cloth. However, we cut some from a different cloth.

Literally, cut from a different cloth means garments made from different fabrics.

I made the top of one dress from velvet. The bottom was satin. Although unlike one another, the two cloths worked well together.

Figuratively, cut from a different cloth means people or objects differ.

We may vary in:

Personality
Culture
Interests
Backgrounds

Being cut from a different cloth can cause problems.

If we refuse to accept anyone unlike us, life becomes difficult.

Everyone suffers from:

Inability to get along
Lack of understanding
Poor support

Often, our differences matter little.

We may compromise or change our minds on:

Decorations
Menus
Entertainment

Other times, we must stand firm in our convictions.

We never want to waver on:

Eternal matters
Harmful behavior
Honesty

Whether cut from the same or a different cloth, let’s learn to get along.

Disagree in agreeable ways.
Respect one another.
Listen and learn.

“Show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17 NIV).

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion.

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Don’t Steal My Joy

July 27, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

I love to make people happy, don’t you? Occasionally someone says an action or gift is too much. My frequent response: “Don’t steal my joy.”

Don’t steal my joy tells people to allow us to do something special for them.

If they love our gifts, it fills us with joy. We delight in helping them or offering acts of kindness.

We don’t want them to say it is too much. Or that we should not do it. We want them to accept it and enjoy it as much as we enjoy sharing.

Neither should we steal anyone else’s joy.

I almost did that recently. A friend brought thoughtful gifts for my husband. They would make his life and mine much easier. When I wanted to pay for them, she responded with a smile, “Don’t steal my joy.” She had heard me say that and enjoyed the opportunity to say it back to me.

No one can steal the joy we find in Jesus.

Jesus offers us the gift of forgiveness, a future home in heaven, and joy whatever our present circumstances.

People may mistreat us. Troubles may surround us. Life may throw us for a loop, and our emotions may tumble. Nevertheless, Jesus fills us to the brim with everlasting joy. Nothing and no one can take that away.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven” (Luke 6:23 NIV).

Thanks to Carol Edwards for the suggestion. Image by Christiane from Pixabay.

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The Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree

May 18, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

The apple does not fall far from the tree in orchards. The same is often true for children.

When children act like their parents, we might say the apple does not fall far from the tree.

We all learn from the people closest to us.

Parents
Guardians
Other relatives

They teach us how to:

Walk
Talk
Live

One of the scariest statements a child can make is, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you.” That should make us pay attention to our words, actions, and attitudes.

The apple does not fall from the tree does not always apply.

Children do not always look or act like their parents. Sometimes that is the children’s choice. They may:

Rebel against positive examples.
Rise above negative examples.

We cannot change our biological roots. We can change our behavior.

May we all learn and live well.

No one, including the best parent, is perfect. Therefore, we want to follow the one and only perfect example we find in Jesus.

When we root ourselves in Jesus’ love, we gain the best life now plus an eternity with Him in heaven. We also bear fruit by sharing Jesus’ love with the rest of the world.

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8 NIV).

Thanks to Thad Reames for the suggestion. Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay.

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Split Hairs

May 11, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Do you remember sky-high teased hairstyles? Or have you seen pictures of them? Can you imagine all the split hairs that caused? Worse damage occurs when we split hairs with our words.

When we split hairs, we fight about minor details that make no major difference.

We focus on the petty or unimportant.

This metaphor “was first recorded in the late 17th century,” according to The Free Dictionary.

Most of us have split a few hairs.

Yet why let anything that is neither here nor there steal our attention? No need to stress. No need to waste that time. If it will not matter six months from now, let it go.

Let’s focus on the worthy.

Do what needs to be done.
Forget what makes little or no difference.
Never let trivial matters get our goat.

A single hair should not overtake the rest of our body. Neither should one small detail overtake our minds, emotions, or relationships.

“Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen” (2 Timothy 2:14 NIV).

Thanks to Tracy Crump for the suggestion and to Misty Durham for the photo.

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Skinned Alive

April 6, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Have you ever been skinned alive? It is no fun, is it? We may not lose skin, but it hurts like we have.

To be skinned alive means to be severely scolded or punished.

Many of us think scolding hurts the most.

People of all ages receive threats to be skinned alive.

Children who break their parents’ rules
Employees who fail to do their work
Friends or family who break promises

This phrase comes from the cruel “practice of flaying a live prisoner.”

The Free Dictionary dates it to the mid-1800s.

The threat to skin alive often comes with the strength and power to hurt others.

However, we never want to harm anyone.

Encouraging people to straighten up and fly right is okay. Blowing our top is not.

When people threaten to skin us alive, we want to make necessary changes.

However, if we have done nothing wrong, we may need to say so. Regardless of how they treat us, we want to treat them with respect. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2 NIV).

Thanks to Kristy Robinson Horine for the suggestion. Image by Sammy-Sander from Pixabay.

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Lie Like a Rug

March 30, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

My dad loved to play with words. He would deliberately use the wrong word to give a sentence a totally new meaning. I’m sure some people thought he did not know better. However, he knew exactly what he was doing. Lie like a rug was one of his favorite expressions.

Lie like a rug is a pun, a usually funny play on words.

Puns use words that are alike or nearly alike but have different meanings. “Lie” can mean either to tell an untruth or to rest in a flat position. Lie like a rug combines those two meanings since a rug lies flat on a floor.

If we lie like a rug, we lie boldly and shamelessly.

Our untruth is no mistake. We deliberately lie. Sometimes we know that no one will believe us but lie anyway.

If we repeat an untruth often enough, we may persuade some people to believe.

We sound ridiculous. Yet repetition eventually convinces those unwilling to look at the evidence. If not convinced, they may choose not to confront us or face the truth.

Always weigh the evidence.

Take what sounds like a lie with a grain of salt. Search for truth and follow it.

“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:21 NIV).

Thanks to Melissa Henderson for the suggestion. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

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Carry Someone Somewhere

March 23, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

I still remember a college professor saying he had to carry someone somewhere. His statement puzzled me. I knew he could not carry the grown man on his back. Instead, he meant he had to transport the man in his car.

To carry someone somewhere means to take the person somewhere.

Like my college professor, we may take others to:

Appointments
Church
Family gatherings
Wherever they need to go

When the need arises, we don’t hem and haw. We do what needs to be done. That kind of carrying takes time but is easier on our backs.

To carry someone somewhere also means to accompany the person.

Whether we provide transportation or not, people do not have to go alone. We escort them for:

Safety precautions
Fun times
Dates

The key to both meanings is to be there.

At times, we meet needs. Other times, we simply enjoy one another’s company. Either way, we share friendship and fellowship.

“Then Esau said, ‘Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.’” (Genesis 33:12 NIV).

Thanks to Joyce Cordell for the suggestion and to Crystal Gosser for the photo.

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