Recently
my wonderful parents celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary. I wasn’t able to make them the traditional
anniversary dinner. In lieu of beef
stroganoff, I wish to offer this post as a sort of emotional beef stroganoff:
savory but not too mushy.
Thirty One Reasons my Parents are Awesome:
(Not all of these have to do with
their marriage, but rather the family God has built through them)
· 1) Dancing to
weather channel music…and then googling it, buying the whole album on iTunes,
and explaining the “cool groove” to me
· 2) They apologize
with ease.
· 3) Puns, lots of
puns…and vegetable jokes
· 4)They try new
things and adopt unusual hobbies, jumping in with both feet
· 5) “From scratch”
takes on a whole new meaning after watching mom whip up a meal or hearing dad
grind down wheat for pancakes
· 6)They pour
affirmation on me, even when I disagree.
· 7)They get
passports when I go out of the country for the “Just in Case.”
· 8)Advice, mostly
solicited advice.
· 9) They are
hard-working and well respected. I’m
never embarrassed or ashamed to claim them as my heritage. Unless there is dancing in public parking
lots.
· 10)Willingness to
drop everything and come to me when I need it.
This is not just a figure of speech.
I’m talking about ‘serious, taking time off work, I’ll be there tomorrow’
kinds of stuff.
· 11) Dad defends mom,
even when that is from me.
· 12)They know the
Bible better than most people I know.
They know it and they treasure it.
· 13) Prayer happens a
lot: on the phone, in the car, walking out the door.
· 14)They are able to
buy each other clothes and actually love said clothes.
· 15) Nobody gets
sensitive about Christmas lists with exact amazon links. They make it simple and still act surprised.
· 16)They taught me
what serving others really looks like: inviting people into your home and into your
life.
· 17)They bestow
unlimited forgiveness on each other…and hopefully me.
· 18)They took the
time to make childhood bedtimes fun with lullabies and guitar sing-a-longs.
· 19)I am learning
more and more the burden of taking care of a human being, namely myself. They provide for their children without
complaint. That is two humans.
· 20) Movie
quotes. Conversations are peppered with,
“Some things in here don’t react well to bullets,” as well as countless other ‘classics.’
· 21)They are cup
half full people. When we (the kids)
couldn’t come for Christmas Day, they spent it in the pediatric ward of the
hospital to distribute presents.
· 22) Their hands are
always open in generosity.
· 23) Family lessons
about safety first have prepared me for tornados, house fires, kidnappers,
earthquakes, bio-terrorism, landslides, etc.
· 24) Emotions are
shared openly and sentiment is never downplayed.
· 25) They bring me
down to earth when I contemplate cutting off my electricity.
· 26) They give me
valuable lessons about life and boys like, “You only get one first impression.” I may not take them all to heart, but I’m
still glad that they try.
· 27) Education was
displayed to me as an opportunity and a blessing. I was allowed to push myself, but never
crushed under the pressure for good grades.
· 28) They look at all
of my pictures when I get back from any trip…along with listening to countless
stories.
· 29) Together they
are obviously something greater than when they are apart.
· 30) They keep me
humble. “We pay your friends to hang out
with you.”
· 31) They love God. They
have embodied that love in their marriage and lives.
Mom and Dad, I’m pretty sure you are the only people
that read this the whole way through.
Happy anniversary and I love you.
