My wife Calla and I were scrambling to get everything out of our rental house so our landlord could do a walk through. It’s been a good little house, we will miss it. After getting the last box out on the sidewalk the landlord pulled into our drive.

Now, you must understand that we have really done them a favor by turning the Est. 1920 house into a 21st century home with some fresh paint, new counters for the kitchen, my father-in-law Kevin and I gutted and put up new drywall the bathroom…..the list really does go on and on, I like to leave things better than when I found them.

As I was talking with the landlord the previous week, I did bring up that we would hope to get the security deposit back from her after the walk through. We expected the security deposit after the walk through, and the landlord asks, “How much were you expecting to get back?” I followed up by responding with the amount that we pay monthly for rent, I knew that was what I put down for a security deposit. She answered back, “I looked back at my records, you paid last months rent up front as well, here is a check for double that amount!”

Honesty is priceless. She could have scammed us, but didn’t. She could have lied and kept a lot of money for herself, but didn’t. I know honesty between family, friends, and peers can be devastating sometimes – but the opposite is true, you can truly bless someone with your honesty. How could you be honest with someone today? Make their day and bless them with honesty.

Lessons learned…

• Do a better job recording and documenting purchases (I like taking pictures of receipts with my phone and emailing them to myself) what do you do?
• Honesty is the best policy…lame I know, but so true.

If you do the right thing, honesty will be your guide. But if you are crooked, you will be trapped by your own dishonesty. Proverbs 11:3

We just put down another security deposit on a little place in Texas (yes, I have made a copy of the lease and what we have paid)…it’s a guest house on someone’s land. There are longhorns walking around! No joke.

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