It hit me today that since my mother passed away this will be the first Christmas of their lives that my sons won’t be getting a gift this Christmas from their MaMaw Martin. My mother loved to give people gifts. It got me thinking about what were the best gifts my parents ever gave me.
Here are a few gifts my parents gave me growing up that I'm trying my best to pass on to my children.
1. THE GIFT OF A HEALTHY MARRIAGE: My parents were always affectionate, loving and respectful to one another. Watching how my dad treated my mother (and vice-versa) has taught me how to treat Becky. The example of a healthy marriage is better than a cellular phone or an X-Box, and it's the gift that really last a lifetime. When children see the way their parents love and respect one another, it teaches them to do the same.
2. THE GIFT OF INTEGRITY: I was taught from a young age that we didn't lie, cheat or steal. When I did things like that there were consequences to pay.
3. THE GIFT OF DISCIPLINE: This is going to be hard for some of you to believe, but there were a few occasions when I got “paddled” at school by teachers or principles. Since I grew up in a very small town by the time I got home my parents knew about it and I got another one when I got home. They stayed after it, even though it took a long time, and I finally understood “you reap what you sow" or you have to be responsible for your own actions?
4. THE GIFT OF LOVE. There are different ways to spell love. T-I-M-E spells love. L-I-S-T-E-N spells love. I can’t ever remember not knowing that my parents loved me and would do whatever they could to help me.
5. THE GIFT OF A SPIRITUAL HERITAGE: This came mainly through my mom early in life but through both parents later on. For as long as I can remember I knew that my mom had a real growing relationship with God. On my desk sits her very last Bible. It is filled with notes and prayers, it has dates of what she was reading and what she was learning. I never ever got the feeling that my mom was not fully engaged with her Savior. Even now as I grow in my relationship with Christ, I follow her as she followed Christ.
What are some of the gifts your parents gave you that have lasted a lifetime?
1 comment:
The gift of flexibity. My parents worked in the medical field while I was a child. Both of them worked in a hospital taking care of the sick. There were people out there who needed them that day more than I did. We had many a Christmas where they would have to work either Christmas day or Christmas eve. A lot of times, Christmas was celebrated a day or two early because of their schedules. That taught me to roll with things and that nothing has to be perfect. I have also seen quite a few Christmas Days at a hospital and it really taught me to be thankful for my health.
Post a Comment