Just Say 'Thank You'

I found myself in the middle of a truth bomb yesterday afternoon.  Let me treat you to a little readers' theater:

Rebecca: "Sara, you look great!"
Sara: "Well, I've still got..."
Rebecca (gently but firmly): "Just say 'Thank you.'"

Wait, what?  Not qualify a compliment with a laundry list of reasons that the compliment is null & void?  Not offer an escape route to the giver of said compliment?  Not laugh openly in the face of flattery?  I'm confused.

I've known Rebecca for a long time & she has a heart of gold & knows a fair bit about the process of changing your body...& she's kept up her changes for a long time!  I also know that she has probably struggled with the same feelings of unworthiness in the wake of a sincere compliment, not just because she has lost weight, but because she is human.  It was so fantastic of her to call me on my bologna & remind me that the best thing to do in the face of a sincere compliment is to appreciate it for what it is & show my gratitude outwardly by saying thank you & inwardly by believing it.

New Sara: "Thank you."