The Real-Life Challenge for me this week from Toni
Birdsong’s More than a Bucket List is
this: Write your parents an IOU. In all honesty, the book suggests writing your
dad an IOU, but my parents each played such individual and unique roles in my
life growing up that I could not see writing an IOU to one and not the other.
And being that today is my birthday, I figured it was the perfect time to
remind them of what a special role they’ve played in their only daughter’s life
for her first 41 years so far. Forty-One, Yikes! J
An IOU for My Dad:
Dearest Dad,
I owe you for teaching me about honesty and
genuineness. You taught me that even
when it’s difficult, it’s better to just be yourself. You are never afraid of
what anyone else will think or whether or not they will like you when you speak
your mind; you just do it. They will either agree or they won’t and either way
is okay with you. I think you may have
learned the hard way that lying doesn’t lead to anything good, so you gave that
up and decided to just tell the truth all the time. Sometimes, it’s challenging for other people
to take, your bold way of speaking, but you stay true to yourself and cause
others to consider the topics you discuss more deeply than, perhaps, they did
before. Your love for discussion and
debate is inspiring and frustrating all at the same time! J It took me awhile to
figure you out, but I think I understand where you are coming from now, and
it’s a place of unconditional love and genuine concern for others.
I owe you for your generosity and extraordinary caretaking
ability. I never lacked for anything
growing up, not even for college tuition.
You were always there for whatever I needed financially and in terms of
my health and safety. You made sure
there were no coffee tables in the house where I could crack open my head as
you had seen and treated too many of those injuries during your long hours in
hospital emergency rooms. You made sure I knew to always put on my seatbelt
when the day came that the world recognized how important seatbelts were to our
travels. You made sure all my sore throats, fainting spells, and general ailments
were treated appropriately.
I owe you for my work ethic.
Even on our vacations, while the kids were busy swimming in the pool, you
took the time to complete your continuing education, so you could stay up in
your field and be the best doctor you could be.
Now, I too, often stay late at work to help even though I don’t have to
or I spend time on the weekends taking classes that are not required just so I
can be the best I can be in my chosen career field.
I owe you for all the hours you spent at work in order to
provide for us. I owe you for all the sacrifices you made to be my dad. Thank you for all the concern, love, and care
you have always provided and for being there for me, waiting me out, even when
I chose not to listen and not to communicate. Thank you for your patience as I
took my sweet time growing up and letting go. It’s so nice to know you were
always there, believing in me, even when I chose not to believe in you and your
love for me. I understand now…Thank
you.
I Love you,
Susannah
An IOU for My Mom:
To my dear, sweet Mom,
I owe you for my strong faith. You have been unwavering in your beliefs and
values no matter what life tossed your way, and your example, especially
through the most painful times of your life, showed me God’s power and love in
a more meaningful way than any sermon or miraculous testimony ever could.
I owe you for your amazing ability to stay positive, smiling,
and find a way to see the light at the end of the tunnel in any and every
situation. Watching you and hearing from
your co-workers during your days of being a single mom and working full time
taught me how to make the most of my days at work today. Your example was one
of positivity with a ready smile and word of encouragement for all those who
walked into your office space. When
someone at my work comments on how I am always smiling or how they love to see
me because they feel they can talk to me, and they feel encouraged by me, I
think of you, mom. That’s the example you set for me all those years when I was
struggling with growing up, raising babies, and getting divorced. You were my
cheerleader. You were the one who always had a Bible verse ready or an
encouraging word to share. You may think
you are not a good listener, but you certainly were for me when I needed it
most. When you’re friends and co-workers
talked to me about you it was always about how sweet you are and what a joy it
was to work with you. Now that I have
found my own source of peace and contentment, I attribute my ability to be that
encouraging word and ready smile for others to you.
I owe you for your friendship. From early on, I learned
about adult friendship from you. You taught me that even as an adult, it’s okay
to be silly, laugh until you cry, and burden each other with all your woes
because true friends are there for each other no matter what. You have always been more than just my mom.
You are also my “punchy” friend, who endures wrong turns on long journeys
because we were too busy talking to pay attention and dissolves into silent
laughter when her friend sounds crazy muttering about “jamoca shakes” at the
end of that long, tiresome ride.
I owe you for all you gave up to be my mom, even after I
left home. I owe you for your sacrifices
to stay in a place where you were not always comfortable because you knew you
needed to finish raising me first before you could move on with your own
life. I owe you for teaching me what it
means to endure and showing me that people can continually change, grow, and
find a new way to live with joy under the most difficult circumstances. Thank you for allowing me to be me, for
supporting me through all my ups and downs and more than anything, for never
giving up.
Love and many, many hugs,
Susannah
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