Well, I thought this one would be funnier than the last, because my dad is such a goof, but when I got to thinking about it, I realized that I learned alot of great things from my dad too.
1. A great Dad is a girl's first hero.If a dad is involved in his daughter's life and she truly believes he loves her, no other man/boy measures up. It is unlikely that she will be tempted to look for love somewhere else, when her daddy at home is better than anyone else.
2. If you are going to hide special treats (i.e. candy), hide it in a place no one will find it. If your hiding place is found, don't deny that the stuff is yours, when it quite obviously is. Also, when your hiding place is found, get a new one. Don't keep "hiding" your candy in the same spot or you will find it disappearing quickly.
3."Show your work." This began when my dad was trying to help me with Algebra (bad idea, not very successful) He thought it was very important to show how I arrived at an answer. It is a matter of proof. It then extended into life. He taught me to be detailed and thorough. Take notes, get names, numbers and dates. Keep good records. You never know when you will need proof.
4. Work hard. My dad worked hard. He was always present in our lives, especially at important events, games, ceremonies, recitals.etc. But, he would make up for it by working late, late evenings. He still does. He might work until 3 in the morning, but he gets it done and is successful. My dad taught me to be diligent in work, that it pays you back.
5. How to play and play hard. My dad worked hard, but he also played hard. I remember waking up in the middle of the night one night to find a light on in the living room. I walked out there to find my dad playing Nintendo at 2 in the morning. He said he never got any other chance to play! My dad can be like a kid in a grown man's body. He taught me how to have fun. How to laugh and tease and enjoy life.
6. How to handle money. I started getting an allowance at a young age. I know some people think an allowance spoils kids, but I think it is worse when parents just buy their kids stuff, whenever they want. I had to help out around the house to get my allowance and my dad made me take out 10% for tithe. If I wanted something, I had to use my allowance. It taught me to budget and save. There were several times I had to save for months to buy something I really wanted. When I got older, my dad helped me open a bank account and credit card and taught me how to use them to establish good credit. He also taught me to have fun with money. Sometimes you just have to splurge and enjoy it, but not at the expense of going into debt. You handle money, you don't let money handle you.
7. To take responsibility. My dad taught me a very important lesson that I didn't fully appreciate for a while. He taught me not to justify myself. If I'm wrong. Accept responsibility, apologize, change, and move on. I hated this. Everytime I tried to make an excuse for something, he would say, "Don't justify yourself." I would always say I was just explaining... and he would say I was making excuses. This is a lesson that I have continued to learn since getting married. It is very, very hard. I'm still working on it.
8. Buckle up! My sisters and I had a bad habit of not buckling. So, my dad made us a deal. Every day all three of us were buckled, he put a quarter in a cup in his car. (He drove us to school every day) If he caught one of us unbuckled, he took out fifty cents. If we caught him unbuckled he put in a dollar. When there was enough money, we all went for ice cream. (Remember how strict my mom was with sugar?) This was a great bribe and worked very well. I feel weird now, if I am not wearing my seat belt.
9. Generosity. My dad loves to give and do for others. He gets so much pleasure out of spending money on other people. I'm not so good at this. I would much rather spend on myself : )
10. Date night. My dad took my mom out on "dates" once a week. I'm not really sure if this was his idea or hers, but they made time once a week to spend time together, alone, doing something nice.
11. The gift of time. One of the greatest gifts to give to anyone is the gift of time. In fact I think he so instilled this in me, that now it is how I measure love. It's my love language. I have so many memories of my dad deliberately making time to spend with me. "Lunch dates" He would come to my school and eat lunch with me there or take me out somewhere. In the evenings, he sat down with me on the couch and read Bible stories to me. During storms, I would sit on his lap in the rocking chair in the living room in the dark and we would just sit and watch the rain and lighting ( Needless to say, I love storms.), some nights, he would rock me to sleep, singing songs he made up just for me and my sisters. I still remember them and hope to sing them to my kids someday. He was always there at our games, recitals, performances etc. He chose to make time for us. So this is why number 1 is true. My dad was my hero (along with my grampa) Until, I met my husband, no one else even measured close to him. Thankfully, my husband measures love with time too!
Sorry this one wasn't funny as promised. I just realized, that my dad taught me more than I realized.
“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” Mother Theresa
Monday, April 16, 2007
Things My Mom Taught Me..
...whether through word or action. My mom taught me the following.
1. "Don't have children until you can afford to dress them well." This is an actual quote. It is a sad fact that most people respond to us based on appearance. My mom made the observation that people respond more to little ones who are dressed cute and are groomed. How you are treated as a child helps determine how you expect people to treat you as you grow up. If, as a child you are accustomed to people giving you positive reinforcing attention, then you will gain self-esteem and learn to expect others to treat you well. This probably originated from the fact that my mom had three little blonde cherub girls who she liked to dress alike. Everyone at church oohed and ahhed. My best friend agrees with my mom, since she has had her first child.
2. You can never make a first impression twice. This is why my mom encouraged me not to go into public without my hair fixed, makeup on and clothes cleaned and pressed. She said you never know who you might run into, and it is hard to change a first impression. While there have been many times, I have been out in town without being "fixed up", I can't remember a time my mother was ever seen in public without being perfectly turned out.
3. Be a lady. This is one I heard way too often. I actually didn't want to be a lady. I held disdain for the idea of being a lady. But as I've gotten older, I've changed my mind. I certainly don't want to be one of those snooty, air in the nose women who is afraid to get their hands dirty. But what my mom considered a lady, was a woman who was well-mannered, treated others with respect. made an uncomfortable situation comfortable, doesn't interrupt, who wrote letters and thank you cards, and never forgot a special occasion.
4. If you think something is clean enough, it isn't. You can always find a spot you missed on a window. A room is never clean until you have cleaned the baseboards. I learned how to really clean and to do an excellent job. I remember one day I spent several hours scrubbing my parents shower down. I had to scrub each individual grout line of the tile. Unfortuanately for me, this presents a quandary. I know how clean, clean is supposed to be, but I hate to clean. Thus I notice every little smudge and particle of dust, but I don't want to mess with it.
5. Be a good hostess. This I think relates to being a lady, but my mom always put such a strong emphasis on it that I listed it separately. This means that if you are having company your house is spotless and you have planned enough food and entertainment to keep everyone happy. The reverse of this is that if I am going to someone else's house, I always expect to bring something with me, if not a dish, then flowers or some type of hostess gift.
6. You can never have enough sleep. This I learned from watching. My mom took naps all the time and went to bed early.
7. When in doubt, or frustration or any other state, positive or negative, Pray. My mom taught me how to have a personal relationship with Jesus and how to pray. She also taught me the importance of forgiveness.
8. Scrambled eggs, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and popcorn make for great dinner foods. (although not necessarily together). I can't tell you how many nights my mom would make a huge bowl of popcorn with salt and butter and an enormous glass of juice and we would all sit on the couch and watch a movie together. Those were my favorite dinners.
9. Eating healthy is important. You can live without sugar. I don't even know if we had sugar in the house when I was small. If we needed a sweetener we used honey. I was the only kid in school who ate boiled eggs, plain yogurt, and veggies at snack time. Of course, these days I'm a sugarholic, which I directly link back to being deprived of sugar as a child.
10. Family is vital. I learned this from the way my mom spoke about her family and the amount of time we all spent together.
11. Dinner time is great family time. Most nights we all sat down to dinner together. It was a great time to catch up and share and talk. Some times this extended into "family council" time. This however being my dad's invention, wasn't quite as successful.
12. Make the man feel like the king of the castle. My mom never argued with my dad in front of us. If she disagreed, she waited to speak to him in private. She tried to have dinner ready or close to ready when my dad came home from work. She also had us pick up the house, so my dad would come home to a clean house. This is one I could use more instruction on. I'm pretty terrible at it.
13. Mom's recipes are always the best. This inludes lasagna, spaghetti, chili, potato soup and numerous casseroles. I've had these dishes many times at many places, but no one can make them like my mom.
14. Music influences your mood. My mom constantly had music playing in the house when I was growing up. Different music for different days and moods.
15.This last one I learned from my best friend's mom. I only heard her say this one time, but it made such an impression on me that I never forgot it. She said, "Sin shows on your face." This always came to mind whenever I was tempted to do something I shouldn't. I always thought about it showing up on my face and making my wrong doings transparent to everyone.
Next blog will be things my dad taught me : ) These will be funnier.
1. "Don't have children until you can afford to dress them well." This is an actual quote. It is a sad fact that most people respond to us based on appearance. My mom made the observation that people respond more to little ones who are dressed cute and are groomed. How you are treated as a child helps determine how you expect people to treat you as you grow up. If, as a child you are accustomed to people giving you positive reinforcing attention, then you will gain self-esteem and learn to expect others to treat you well. This probably originated from the fact that my mom had three little blonde cherub girls who she liked to dress alike. Everyone at church oohed and ahhed. My best friend agrees with my mom, since she has had her first child.
2. You can never make a first impression twice. This is why my mom encouraged me not to go into public without my hair fixed, makeup on and clothes cleaned and pressed. She said you never know who you might run into, and it is hard to change a first impression. While there have been many times, I have been out in town without being "fixed up", I can't remember a time my mother was ever seen in public without being perfectly turned out.
3. Be a lady. This is one I heard way too often. I actually didn't want to be a lady. I held disdain for the idea of being a lady. But as I've gotten older, I've changed my mind. I certainly don't want to be one of those snooty, air in the nose women who is afraid to get their hands dirty. But what my mom considered a lady, was a woman who was well-mannered, treated others with respect. made an uncomfortable situation comfortable, doesn't interrupt, who wrote letters and thank you cards, and never forgot a special occasion.
4. If you think something is clean enough, it isn't. You can always find a spot you missed on a window. A room is never clean until you have cleaned the baseboards. I learned how to really clean and to do an excellent job. I remember one day I spent several hours scrubbing my parents shower down. I had to scrub each individual grout line of the tile. Unfortuanately for me, this presents a quandary. I know how clean, clean is supposed to be, but I hate to clean. Thus I notice every little smudge and particle of dust, but I don't want to mess with it.
5. Be a good hostess. This I think relates to being a lady, but my mom always put such a strong emphasis on it that I listed it separately. This means that if you are having company your house is spotless and you have planned enough food and entertainment to keep everyone happy. The reverse of this is that if I am going to someone else's house, I always expect to bring something with me, if not a dish, then flowers or some type of hostess gift.
6. You can never have enough sleep. This I learned from watching. My mom took naps all the time and went to bed early.
7. When in doubt, or frustration or any other state, positive or negative, Pray. My mom taught me how to have a personal relationship with Jesus and how to pray. She also taught me the importance of forgiveness.
8. Scrambled eggs, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and popcorn make for great dinner foods. (although not necessarily together). I can't tell you how many nights my mom would make a huge bowl of popcorn with salt and butter and an enormous glass of juice and we would all sit on the couch and watch a movie together. Those were my favorite dinners.
9. Eating healthy is important. You can live without sugar. I don't even know if we had sugar in the house when I was small. If we needed a sweetener we used honey. I was the only kid in school who ate boiled eggs, plain yogurt, and veggies at snack time. Of course, these days I'm a sugarholic, which I directly link back to being deprived of sugar as a child.
10. Family is vital. I learned this from the way my mom spoke about her family and the amount of time we all spent together.
11. Dinner time is great family time. Most nights we all sat down to dinner together. It was a great time to catch up and share and talk. Some times this extended into "family council" time. This however being my dad's invention, wasn't quite as successful.
12. Make the man feel like the king of the castle. My mom never argued with my dad in front of us. If she disagreed, she waited to speak to him in private. She tried to have dinner ready or close to ready when my dad came home from work. She also had us pick up the house, so my dad would come home to a clean house. This is one I could use more instruction on. I'm pretty terrible at it.
13. Mom's recipes are always the best. This inludes lasagna, spaghetti, chili, potato soup and numerous casseroles. I've had these dishes many times at many places, but no one can make them like my mom.
14. Music influences your mood. My mom constantly had music playing in the house when I was growing up. Different music for different days and moods.
15.This last one I learned from my best friend's mom. I only heard her say this one time, but it made such an impression on me that I never forgot it. She said, "Sin shows on your face." This always came to mind whenever I was tempted to do something I shouldn't. I always thought about it showing up on my face and making my wrong doings transparent to everyone.
Next blog will be things my dad taught me : ) These will be funnier.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Shadow
You are light and yet you are my Shadow.
You follow me as if I am the love of your life
Indeed I am bound to you by gentle cords of Love
I may cut those cords or deny them, yet you never leave
No matter how far I wander you are always there.
No matter how often I stray I am never out of your sight.
You follow me on wings of morning
You even follow me into the very depths of hell.
You are close enough to catch every one of my tears in a bottle.
And to know the number of hairs on my head
I can push you away, out of my life and still you never cease wooing me home.
You are my shadow
because
of
this...
I am your shadow
For you are my life
Indeed though it is through you I live, yet you live through me
I breathe in your very breath of Heaven and it is you who breathes out
Your strength is mine, for your love sustains me
I look to follow where you lead
Yes, I would not take a step without your hand guiding me
I follow looking for glimpses of your face
I listen, hanging on your every word.
Though I am not as faithuful as you, my heart wants to be.
Though I may wander and stray, my eyes always search for you
Because you are my Shadow, I am yours.
You follow me as if I am the love of your life
Indeed I am bound to you by gentle cords of Love
I may cut those cords or deny them, yet you never leave
No matter how far I wander you are always there.
No matter how often I stray I am never out of your sight.
You follow me on wings of morning
You even follow me into the very depths of hell.
You are close enough to catch every one of my tears in a bottle.
And to know the number of hairs on my head
I can push you away, out of my life and still you never cease wooing me home.
You are my shadow
because
of
this...
I am your shadow
For you are my life
Indeed though it is through you I live, yet you live through me
I breathe in your very breath of Heaven and it is you who breathes out
Your strength is mine, for your love sustains me
I look to follow where you lead
Yes, I would not take a step without your hand guiding me
I follow looking for glimpses of your face
I listen, hanging on your every word.
Though I am not as faithuful as you, my heart wants to be.
Though I may wander and stray, my eyes always search for you
Because you are my Shadow, I am yours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)