My Parents

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day 28

Forty years ago on this very day, a couple awaited the birth of their firstborn child.

Would it be a boy or a girl?  Would the baby be healthy?  They didn't know it yet. but this night would be their last night as just a couple.

And then there were three.

The first few months their daughter lounged in front of the television with her dad...

and giggled with her mom...

and of course she made her first visit to the lake when the weather warmed up!

Life moved quickly, and soon enough, there was another daughter, and then a son.  They spent the next twenty years parenting these three children, taking them on outdoor adventures, up to the cabin, camping, and even to Disney World.  While the dad worked at General Motors and helped out coaching various sports for his kids, the mom sewed beautiful clothes for her children and made sure everything was running smoothly at home, even when the kids had her running in every direction.

In barely the blink of an eye, their children were grown.  Their daughters soon married and their son set out to chase his dream job in computers. Even after retirement, their kids and grandkids were their life.  They would do anything for them.  They attended the births of all of their daughters' children and watched them grow.  They attended dance recitals, and choir concerts, and softball, baseball and basketball games, and taught those kids how to build things and bake things.  Their children and grandchildren knew they were loved.

These parents are my parents.  They have taught me so much in my life.  It's hard to comprehend how much your parents influence your life until you are a parent yourself.  Only then do you realize the magnitude of the task of parenting.  I know it isn't easy.  You make mistakes and you get back up and you find a different way, a better way the next time.  My parents have guided me through my life with love and support and have taught me the true meaning of what those marriage vows we recite on our wedding day really mean.  I am thankful for the way they have raised me and for their endless guidance in my life and hope that I have made them proud.