Saturday, August 23, 2008

Reflections


I feel my parents deserve a huge award!!!!!


Let me start by saying this was not the picture I wanted.Ever have it when you have an idea in your head and you just cannot find what you want????? That was me preparing for this post.

Over the past few weeks I think my age must be starting to show or I am becoming even more of a softy then I ever was.As I look back over my life I think of how lucky I was as a child.True,there were many heart aches growing up in a home with a father who is (now was) an alcoholic.(Still remaining sober PTL)!!!!However I still had a good life.There was always food on the table.I always had clean and good clothes to wear.I lived in a nice home with running water,TV,I had a bed to sleep in...... You get the picture.
I was never a very good student in school.I HATED school. And made it very hard on my mom by crying before school almost through the 5Th grade.After that the crying stopped,but I still hated going.
I seldom gave my parents a hard time and was usually respectful.
I think of the heart aches I caused my parents throughout the grown up years as well.
A broken engagement, a failed marriage,major emotional problems.But through all of this they never stopped loving me!!!!!What a great thing.

I think of you who are reading this now who have children of all ages at home or grown up.I know you too will love your kids no matter what they do in life.What ever they do as a career, choose for a spouse, or go to continue their education.You will always be there to pick them up when and if they fall.

It is sad that we so often fail to tell our parents how much they mean to us.How much we love them or how thankful we are for all they have done for us over the years.Sure we give them a hug and a kiss and say "LOVE YA",but maybe we need to tell them why before it is to late.(I know for some of you who have lost parents it is to late).
Why is it so hard for us to tell a person what they mean to us, a friend, a family member, a teacher from school.We can put it in writing as I am now doing,but to say the words face to face seem so very very hard.WHY???????
Is it because we are to proud to share our feelings???? Are we afraid to express ourselves?????

In my job now I see how important it is to be able to tell mom and dad how we love them.It breaks your heart when you see a child visit their parent and the parent does not know who they are or if they are there.I've taken care of parents of classmates and think this could be my parent. Yet I still am guilty of not speaking up and sharing my true love I have for ole mom and dad.Why????? Maybe it is because sharing your feelings shows weakness,(or is considered uncool for a man to do.

I have no idea if any of this makes sense to you or how it sounds as you read it but I was just speaking from the heart.

As I read stories of things in your life with your children,I can only hope and pray that some day they too will feel as blessed as I was to have wonderful parents.


I cannot encourage you enough to continue to have those special times to make those special memories in their minds and in their hearts.
May you be a blessing to them and forever hold a special place in their hearts.

And may you feel God's presence surrounding you as you do your parenting thing.

4 comments:

Middle-Aged Moi said...

AMEN!!!! I think I'd better go call my parents....:-) Thanks for the reminder of what we owe them, Mr. B!

k1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
k1 said...

Sharing openly, in person, makes one VERY VULNERABLE, and feeling vulnerable is scary. You don't have any control over how what you want to say or convey the other person will be received. What if they ridicule, scorn, or reject your sentiments?

Sadly, the fear of receiving any of those reactions keep us from taking the chance, and we possibly miss out on the other potential reactions of the receiver: acceptance, reciprocity, gratitude, and pleasure.

There is a reason God tells us so many times in the Bible to "Fear Not". Fear, although very helpful as a warning in truly dangerous situations, robs us of so many blessings in everyday life.

Thanks for posting on this topic, Brian.

redmaryjanes said...

What a wonderful post Mr. Brian!
We should tell our loved ones that we love them more often : )