Well, here we are...I've finally broken down and started a blog. It is a sad state of affairs when my best-friend, who has no web design background, is becoming more web savvy than I am. So, I'm jumping off of the bridge just like all the rest. I guess I hesitated to start a blog because I have absolutely no extra time and I didn't think that I had anything worth talking about. Unfortunately, that all changed about 6 weeks ago when my dad died.
It was a sudden and completely unexpected thing. There is something about death that makes you question everything else in your life and it gives you a new perspective on things, and I've found that perspective can be everything. I have decided to simplify my life! I am going to choose to do things that make me happy and get rid of the things that don't. I am going to try to stop creating problems and start finding new ways to solve the ones I already have. I am going to spend as much time as possible with my family because the illusion that tomorrow is guaranteed is a thing of the past. But, most of all, I am going to say what I think and how I feel. I won't hesitate to tell someone important how much I love them, how grateful I am for all that they have done for me, and how very thankful I am that they were my dad.
One of my favorite authors is Jan Karon. She writes a series of books about an Episcopal priest who lives in mythical Mitford, North Carolina. In the final book of the series, Father Tim, the main character, gives a sermon in which he has only 4 words to share with the congregation, "In EVERYTHING...give thanks." It seems like a simple concept but when you think about what "everything" means, all of a sudden its not so simple. This probably seems like a random thing to write about but I had to share it because Thanksgiving is in 2 days, and since my dad passed away I didn't think I'd have anything to be thankful for. Then I remembered the story from this book and it reminded me of all of the good that I can be thankful for in this terrible tragedy. I can be thankful that he will never, ever suffer again. I can be thankful for all of the time that we had together and for all of the years that he spent sacrificing so that we would be safe and happy and comfortable. I can be thankful that my parents had almost 35 years of marriage and that they were true partners. I can be thankful that he loved me and I can be thankful for the knowledge that that love doesn't end in death, it will live on forever.
So, as the first Thanksgiving without my dad comes around, I say to you, "Be thankful for every single moment in your life no matter how exhausting or disappointing because none of us are guaranteed another one. Be thankful for the time that you have had and the ability to look back on it and learn from it. Be thankful that you are loved and that you have someone to love you in return. But most of all, be thankful for the hard, painful things, the things that make you cry, the things that test your mettle, because those are the things that make us who we truly are."
1 comment:
That's a great attitude to carry! Nice thought.
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