Often times we take for granted all the blessings we have in life. One of the most underrated blessings that deserves the most thanks is our parents. With Mother's Day just passed and Father's Day soon approaching, I sat down and made a list of all the things I forget to thank my parents for.
I am blessed with two parents of my own, who love me, discipline me, and often disagree with me. At this stage in life, many 20-somethings butt heads with their parents because we are trying to figure out who we are as adults, while still being the same daughter/son we've always been. I think now is the perfect time to thank my mom and dad for all they've done for me.
1. Bringing me into the world
Let's be honest, I wouldn't even be here today if it weren't for them.
2. Keeping me safe
Now that I'm older, I see that one of the biggest roles of a parent (or any adult really) is to keep the children around them safe.
3. Teaching me manners and morals
In today's society, saying yes ma'am and holding the door for a stranger is a rarity. I'n thankful that I was raised to be a lady, and strive for classiness in all scenarios.
4. Providing for all my needs and most of my wants
Teaching me the difference between wants and needs in today's society is huge. Most kids now think they deserve anything and everything they want, and it's just not true. My parents provided for most of my wants anyway, but I'm still thankful they taught me the difference.
5. For teaching me right from wrong
Along with teaching me morals, they taught me what's right and what's wrong. They disciplined me when I was wrong, and they taught by example of the right thing to do instead.
6. For molding every little piece of my personality
What's crazy about being a child of two people is that you are made up of tiny bits of them. I see my dad's sassiness in me. I see mom's endurance in me. I see mom's nose and dad's eyes. What I love most is hearing which parent I look like, which varies from time to time.
7. For believing in me and supporting my dreams
When I wanted to be an interior designer, you said I could do anything I could imagine. When I wanted to be a vet, you helped me bottle-feed a calf and treat dog's wounds.When I decided I couldn't run from my calling of teaching, you supported me and said that I would be a wonderful teacher. When I wanted to sing in high school, you came to every concert. Thank you for listening to every new idea.
8. For teaching me that laughter really is the best medicine
Laughing at the dumbest things is our specialty. Watching a goat jump two feet in the air will put a smile on our face like nothing else I've ever seen!
9. For showing me that simplicity is really the key to happiness
Money can't buy happiness. Love can't buy happiness. Being pleased with who you are and what you've accomplished is the way to be happy. Taking a ride through the countryside can be just as relaxing as an expensive trip overseas. Happiness can be found through the simplest things, like a rainbow after a storm, fresh dew after sunrise, and the sweet cooing of a newborn baby. And the best part is, you can be so happy without ever worrying what you look like!
10. For putting my needs/wants before your own
Part of being an adult is making sure everyone around you is accounted for, taken care of, and safe... even if that means sacrificing something you want to provide for others. That's being a true leader, a true adult.
11. For exposing me to the harsh realities of life (funerals, sickness, death)
Life isn't always pretty. Cancer runs rampant, Alzhiemer's has no cure, and death happens. Why shield me from it all through childhood and then expect me to know how to cope with these things when I turn 18 and become an "adult?"
12. For instilling a life-long love of reading
Thank you for reading to me, for reading with me, and listening to me babble on about whatever story I'm reading at the time. Thank you for pushing me to read more and more, and encouraging me to get involved in our local public library.
13. For putting me through (a really expensive) college
When I signed up for numerous college preview days, you took off work to go with me, and you supported me when I chose one of the most expensive schools around us. You read through all my scholarship essays, and you started putting money aside to fund my education. Thanks to your dedication and inheritance money from my grandparents, I was able to graduate from the third-best college in Tennessee.
14. For teaching me how to cook
Even when I didn't want to, you made sure I was in the kitchen with you or my grandparents whenever cooking was taking place. You taught me how to keep country traditions alive with homemade gravy, apple butter, cornbread and scratch biscuits. I may not be restaurant-worthy, but at least I won't ever starve to death!
15. For exposing me to farm life—even in the city
Just like learning that simplicity truly is a treasure, I've learned that I can find the most peace in a grassy field surrounded by animals. There's just solace in the innocence of animals who rely on you to pet them and care for them. No matter where life takes me, I'll be able to appreciate the things that make country or city life so charming.
16. For disciplining me as a kid, so that the justice system doesn’t have to now
Discipline is a hard subject to tackle because everyone has their own opinions about it. But in my house, I knew the rules, and if I chose to disobey, then I also knew the consequences. I didn't have time-out, or "the next time I have to tell you to stop I'll..."(insert threat here), I had butt whoopings. Whether it was with a wooden spoon or a branch off of a shrub, I knew the consequences for my actions were inevitable. I didn't like it then, but I'm thankful for it now.
17. For showing me how to be a servant leader
Whether it was in a hunting club, at work, or at church, my parents have indirectly taught me how to serve others with a full heart. They never said "this is how to serve others," but it was in the willingness and effort they put into absolutely everything they did over the years. I see those values in myself as I continue to embark on my servant-leadership journey.
18. For encouraging me to love the elderly
I was blessed with three grandparents and three great-grandparents, so I have always been around older people all my life. But I've learned to love them in a deep, meaningful way that most of my peers don't understand. I've watched my dad interact with friends of his that are older and elderly, and he's always wanting to go visit shut-ins and widows. "They need to know someone still cares about them, too" he'll say. His kindness has inspired me to love this special group of people in a rare and vibrant way that enriches their lives, but mine as well.
19. For taking me to church even when I didn’t want to go
Church is one of those things that is easy to make excuses for, but I'm so thankful that there was an expectation set for me as a young child regarding church. I never really had the option of "do you want to go?" it was just known that if they went, I went. Without them, I know my Christian life wouldn't be what it is today.
20. For listening
This seems so simple, but listening to a teenage girl for on and on and on and on and on about boys and drama and gym class and teachers is exhausting! My mom has listened to every single story, remembered every friend, frienemy, and love interest, and how somehow managed to keep them all straight. Listening to understand is so much different than listening just to reply, and I'm thankful that I've learned the difference and experienced both from my mom.
