Rare days happen…three children gone with my Mom on errands, three napping, and just one left for some Mommy time.
“I’m thankful Avi…are you?”
Raised, sneaky eyebrows and a slow-spreading grin.
“Yesth.”
Let’s write some cards to people we’re thankful for.
And so, I didn’t write as many that day as I would have liked–OK, only one, but it was an important one.
I don’t want to die and have left words unsaid.
“Dear Mom & Dad,
“Just had a few quiet minutes today to reflect on God’s goodness in my life…
and found the two of you a very large part of that reflection.Life brings us interesting realizations, and as a parent now myself, I crave the grace and forgivenss from my children that I probably never allowed you.
To be a child myself, and yet have my own…it is marvelous to walk beside you through life–shifted, and now parallel to you, enjoying this heart-wrenching and glorious privilege of parenthood.
Thank you for bringing me here.”
Have you left words unsaid?
3 comments
Kelly, that was so beautiful and what a blessing to your parents.
Kelly,
What a lovely post! I, too, believe that we must say those things which are in our hearts each moment, for you never know when the moments will run out.
We have a family tradition, started some years ago, which we do each Thanksgiving. Each member of our family writes a “thankfulness letter” to every other member of the family, telling them why they are personally thankful for that person. Even when our children were very small, we had them draw pictures (and adults helped with the words:)) so that they could all participate. Although we should always show our thankfulness for each other, children (and even adults) somehow forget to! Before our meal on the Thanksgiving holiday, we put all of the letters into a soup tureen, and serve the “Thankful Soup” – each person getting the letters written to him or her. With a large family, the reading can go on a while, but the reward and the heartfelt love that remains afterwards, make the holiday truly special for us. (And when we have guests, we always include letters to them which we each prepare, and if they wish, we ask them to do so too!)
This one small item has transformed our holiday from just another “feast” that we share, into another type of feast entirely – that of feasting on the blessings of our family that God has given us!
I think that’s a good idea…. like Mrs. (im)perfect said, you never know when the moments will run out.