Mom and Dad

Throughout my life I received a lot of gifts from my Mom and Dad. Cabbage Patch dolls, my Holly Hobby bed set, Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bag, thousands of Barbie’s, my Farah Fawcett doll that I lost through the floor boards of the attic, my electric piano, moccasins and my Indian beaded belt (cool!), trips and vacations, the thrill of doing good hard labor and the reward of a job well done, homegrown vegetables, warm homemade bread, and an immense amount of love and laughter…you know I could go on and on. But out of all the wonderful gifts they have given to me, one of the Greatest by far, is that they have a godly marriage-they really love each other and have been together for 38 years today. They have shown me Jesus through their love for each other and that has spilled over in their unconditional love for me. I have learned from them that you don’t give up when the way seems tough, that your love is not based on circumstances but on commitment, that your faith needs to be in the One that doesn’t change, and that forgiveness needs to be done before bitterness sets in. They would laugh at my funny stories and encourage me on, they would clap at my piano recitals and ask for more, they would hang up my drawings and applaud my efforts. All the while they loved each other, they communicated with each other, they prayed and sought God in every area of their lives. Even times that seemed confusing. They gave up everything to go into Missions when it seemed like a foolish thing to do. They trusted God would provide when the money was tight, and put Him first in our family knowing that God was what we needed most. What a gift! What an example for me-for the world. I am so thankful for them, for their love for me and for each other.