Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Speaking of gifts ...

Of all the gifts humans are given, children are consistently ranked number one. Perhaps that is because within that one gift arise a million presents. And those million presents, those millions of moments, collectively change our insides, our outsides, our trajectories, our personalities and our understanding. Pretty incredible for a gift that begins without anything but sheer existence.

It's the love.

And love begets love begets love begets love. Kind of like a family tree. This little, squeaky bundle relies on you for everything. You, in turn, provide food, shelter, warmth, hygiene, discipline and love with the hope that he or she grows, learns and makes the world a better place. The "makes the world a better place" is a pretty good return for your investment of time & energy. Plus, someday pieces of your love for your child boomerang back to you. A nifty bonus of this kind of gift.

Watching Jordan & Lacie this weekend reminded me of what loving parents they are. They were an incredible team with Kyrie and continue to be today, working to spare other parents from loss. It's the love.

I remember when I was a child
and I was angry with my parents
In my rage I would say that
'I didn't ask to be born...'
and here so many years later
what a surprise to discover
that yes, indeed, I did ask to be born...
In fact it was very important to me
that I be here...
if only for a short while.

Ron Atchison

1 comment:

Clarkers said...

This post reminds me of a devotional for mom's that says.. God sends children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race- to enlarge our hearts, to make us unselfish, and full of kindly sympathies and affections.

Children are such a gift from God, whether you are a mom, dad, aunt uncle, friend etc. What a blessing it is to be around them!! After I read this post yesterday I thought and thought about the last part...if only for awhile. It's so sad but a very good reminder for me that while my family is healthy right now we aren't guaranteed this forever and to make every day the best I can with them. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in everyday life, cleaning... just the day to day stuff that keeps your household running. So today my mom gave me a sign that reads... "Excuse the mess, my children are making happy memories." Absolutely fitting.. don't you think?


Thank you again Megan for such a great post...