Daily Mood Quotes
Day 215 – December 7, 2011
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
~Buddha
For as long as I can remember, my father always said, “It's God's will” and we shouldn't mess with that. I agree with this and in many ways I disagree with it as well; especially when it comes to losing someone you love. I understand and accept the circle of life, parents, children, the process of life and the world, but it doesn't mean I have to like everything about it. Death is an inevitable part of life and eventually we all will succumb to it. Some of us will have the gift of a long life and others will not be as fortunate. My father is in his late seventies and has had many roles in his life. The best role...father to five girls and one son. He was never rich or famous, and if you saw him on the street chances are you would walk right by him. What you don't know is that my father is one of the most patient men the world may ever see. He not only quietly dealt with my moms issues, he also had to survive four teenage daughters at the same time. The yelling, the fighting, the arguing over clothes, and yes even the fun. We were a family and we endured struggles just like any other family, except we always had dad to lean on. He rarely ever raised his voice, and never his hand, but he had a firm hand with his children none-the-less. Sadly, my dad and I went many years without talking, not through any fault of his own; my mother and I were at odds and that put a kink in our relationship. But in the last seven years since mom's passing, my dad and I have reconnected and had the gift of many conversations.
He was there when I needed someone to talk to, he prayed for me when my appendix ruptured, he listened to me cry when my husband was diagnosed with a painful, life-long medical condition. He always had a kind word. He always had time for all of us, even his grandchildren, whom he would send a birthday card and holiday gifts to every year. Most recently he sent a birthday card with $20.00 to my daughter, even though he knew he was dying. He never thought of himself; always everyone else. He set an example of modesty, humility and true servant leadership that would be hard to match, even though I don't recall him going to church very often, if at all. He lived his beliefs without fanfare, or lip service. Yesterday, my sister shared a story with me, that made me cry. My dad for the first time ever, bought himself a gift, it was a red shirt that had a picture of Santa with some words on it. It is the first time I ever heard of my dad buying himself a gift...ever.
The thing I am remembering the most is how dad use to make us laugh. He would always come home from work with a daily joke, often about (what he called) bus people. Dad truly despised taking the bus, but he didn't drive and we lived too far away for him to walk to work; or at times the weather was just too cold. So, he rode the bus and noticed people and instead of criticizing, insulting or categorizing them, he observed their behaviors and found great humor in the variety of interactions that he saw. He saw everything down to the most minute detail. That's a gift. His stories were amazing and his sense of humor was non-stop.
Tony Robbins says, “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” My dad never appeared to have much more than just enough to get by, yet he gave to the world much, much more than it ever gave him. He gave us all a warm home, food and clothes (imagine providing clothes and accessories for five teenage daughters), a solid foundation of common sense, morals, values and a sense of fair play. And more than I can innumerate in love, compassion and patience. Those are riches beyond price; thank you dad.
As I have stated in an earlier blog, my dad is not my biological dad, he adopted me when I was five years old. He didn't have to do this, he did it because he wanted to and I can tell you without equivocation, my dad is my dad and never once did he make me feel like I didn't belong. Years pass and things happen in all families, some good and some, we'll what we choose to remember is up to us. I guess what I am saying here is, it doesn't matter; love is love and it is rare, and we never know when that gift will be taken away from us. So, take the time to share a moment with a loved one, have a conversation, forgive if it is needed and hug each other, because someday that opportunity, that gift of shared time will pass and it will never come around again. I believe Clarence (played by Henry Travers) in the movie It's a Wonderful Life said it best, “Remember, George no man is a failure who has friends.” Or family, and my dad has both. Thank you for reading about my dad and thank you to my dad for saying yes to me and becoming my parent, guardian, mentor and friend.
What will you remember today?
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading
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