This is Day 5 of the 21-Day Positivity Challenge held in March 2012, where we work on being positive for 21 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hello everyone, and welcome to Day 5 of the 21-Day Positivity Challenge (21DPC)! :D
Sign ups are now officially closed and we have a total of 596 official participants registered for 21DPC!! Welcome to all of you on board – if you are new, start off with Day 1 and catch up with us from there. For those of you who have been on the challenge since the start, read on! :D
Have You Been Doing the Positivity Tasks *and* Positive-End-of-Day-Reflections?
I noticed that a small handful of participants have only been answering the positivity questions but missing out on the positivity tasks (and some missing out on the end-of-the-day reflection as well).
Do you know that there has actually been a small positivity task assigned for each day, on top of the positivity question and end-of-day reflection?
By only doing 1/3 or 2/3s of the challenge, you’re missing out on the full challenge experience, which is a great pity because you’re denying yourself of the full benefits you can get if you were to do the challenge fully! I highly encourage all of you to strive to complete all 3 segments of each day’s tasks. After all, since you’re already here for 21DPC, why not take it all the way and complete each day’s tasks to the fullest? ;) You will be pleasantly surprised by the benefits you will get from committing yourself fully, vs. a half-hearted approach where you scrap the surface of each day’s task just in the name of participation.
For those of you who have already been completing all 3 tasks for each day to a tee (you know who you are!) – Fantastic work! I’ve been very amazed by the incredible energy of all of you. A good handful of you have even been going beyond your standard participation of the challenge – you have been venturing to other participants’ responses, reading them with great care, and engaging them in discussions. I say that is AMAZING. :D
Keep up the fantastic spirit – we are now starting on a brand new week (Day 5 = March 5 = Monday). Let’s start this new week on a roaring note! :D
21DPC Day 5 Question
Today’s positivity question is:
What Do/Did You Love Most About Your Mom/Dad?
Your Task:
- Reflect and answer today’s question(s). Write as few or as many words as needed to fully express your thoughts. There is no word limit.
- Do something nice for your mom/dad today.
- It can be anything – from cooking a meal for them, to taking them out for dinner, to talking to them, to hugging them, to saying a simple thank you, to watching TV with them, to buying them something special which they’ve been meaning to get, and so on. In your reply for today, let us know what you chose to do and share with us their response, if you wish.
- If you have been meaning to improve your relationship with your parents, you may find this series on PE helpful: How To Improve Your Relationship With Your Parents (4-part series).
- Reflect on your parents’ message to you.
- If both your parents have already passed on (my heart goes out to you), think about what is the biggest message they wanted to convey to you while they were alive. And today, embody that message in the highest possible manner through your thoughts, your actions, and your very being.
- Identify at least one positive thing about your day. It may be something small or something big – as long as you deem it as something positive, it counts. If you have more than 1 thing to share, then by all means, go for it!
Share Your Answers!
After you are done, share your answers in the comments area.
If you’re doing this at the start of the day, you can post your answer for today’s question first, then return at the end of the day to answer the 2nd part, on identifying at least one positive thing about your day.
Check out other participants’ answers. Pick 1-2 participants’ answers and make a meaningful reply to them. Engage in the discussions. This is a group course, so let’s support each other in these 21 days!
Look forward to reading your responses!
(Images: Happy girl in the field, Mother and daughter hugging
)
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I love my Dad’s endless stories and jokes about growing up on the island and competing in the Olympics.
I love my Mom’s laugh. Always have, always will.
Made a lovely vegan breakfast for them. I hug an kiss them lots again now, like I used to when I was a little kid.
Positive: holding steady at a 8:15 mile. Used to have debilitating asthma so I’m very proud.
What Do You Love Most About Your Mom/Dad?
I am very grateful for having chosen such wonderful parents for myself. You will tell me that I am crazy (and you will be right!) but deep inside me I truly believe that nothing happens by chance and that we choose our parents before our birth.
What do I love most about my Dad?
My Dad is a very intelligent person who did a brilliant career in science. He is recognised in his field and still mentors students, writes articles, etc. On the other hand, while his intellect is very powerful, he experiences trouble expressing his feelings, being intimate, lovable and open. I think that sometimes he pretends to be strong, distant and even rude instead of showing his imperfection and vulnerability. When I was a child I wanted very badly to hear some compliments from my father, wanted him to listen to my needs, show me love and appreciate what I was on a daily basis… It happened from time to time but way too rarely! When I focus on positive traits of my Dad’s personality, I think of a few points.
First of all, he is very results oriented and he walks his talk. He is quick, courageous and decisive and takes action immediately when needed.
Secondly, I really appreciate his financial skills; he still earns a lot and respects the budget, never living beyond his means.
Thirdly, what helped me a lot in my life is his faith in me. He taught me that we can all accomplish a lot; we just need to move, take action and be persistent. His life proves it as he managed to acquire high social status in spite of having a difficult childhood and various setbacks that appeared on his way.
Thanks to my Dad I am ambitious and fully committed to achieving my goals.
What do I love most about my Mom?
First of all, my Mom can be very generous both emotionally and financially. She loves giving presents and making people around her happy and radiant.
Secondly, she is intelligent, conscientious and persistent, and thanks to these qualities, has become a very successful business woman.
Thirdly, my Mom is a happy person and is capable of enjoying small daily pleasures of life with the child’s freshness and intensity.
Another thing that I admire in my Mom is that she writes and communicates in an elegant, simple and persuasive way. I learned a lot thanks to her in this area and I am really grateful for all she shared with me, especially when I was a teenager preparing essays for school.
To sum up, I do admire my parents for various traits and for everything they gave me. I am proud of them and although they are imperfect as parents, I know they did their best and I really do appreciate it. They helped me to build my identity and become a person I am today. I am following their example in many ways but want to live my life to the fullest by taking a total responsibility of my choices. I would like to add some new ingredients to our family “wisdom of life” and way of living: freedom, light-heartedness, openness to various cultures, passion and joy of following one’s own unique path. I want my path to “have heart” as Castaneda said, make me financially abundant, enhance my talents and personality. I am not sure if in my family we had people who had courage to fully pursue their dreams. I would certainly like to be one of them. It will help our family to become happier and complete.
That day I called my Mom and we discussed a few things for a while. It was a nice, intimate and funny conversation and I made my Mom smile. ;) This is always priceless.
What I love the most about my mother is her persistence. She is the type of woman that will not take no for an answer and will do whatever it takes to accomplish her goals. She is the most amazing woman in my life and I admire her strength to come to the U.S., with barely a middle school education in a third world country, and just try to make the best out of a new life. She is now a happy married woman with a wonderful man that loves her and has accomplished so so much. Today I went to visit her at the hospital since she is staying there for a few days to recuperate from her C-section.
What I love the most about my father is his dedication to his children. He has had such a rough life but his devotion to all of us is incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen. He is a strong man that has gone through too many challenges in his life which I can’t even begin to list here and I owe so much of my good qualities to him. He is a father that makes me feel safe in any circumstance and I never feel alone having him in my life. Since he lives far away, I didn’t do anything nice for him. I should have called him to say hello…
Something positive about my day is that my boyfriend’s family and I had a meeting with the architect that will be designing his family’s new house and I was really excited to share our ideas with him. I can’t wait to see the end result at the end of the year!
What I Love Most of my MOM is that fact that she’s a ROCK!!! She raised her children single parenting and she made sure we had our needs met, and she taught us how to strive for the better. She was our biggest fan and best supporter. SHE IS AWESOME!!
I really loved the task for today, even if I’m a bit behind (connectivity).
I am one of the fortunate people who still have both my Mom and Dad alive (they are both 79 years old), and although they are seperated, we know they have a special bond – US 6 children and our children.
I try to make a point of visiting my Mom at least twice per week (in same town) and then do some healing touch (Reiki/reflexology) to ease the pains.
My dad lives 200 ks from us, but I often have to pass for work and I make a point of visiting on my way and always try to take along something he enjoys – be it nuts, fruit or a good book.
They really managed to give us roots and wings (Mom the roots and Dad the wings) and all six of us are very stable and enjoy life and for that we have them to thank.
I love about my mom her autonomy and her assertiveness. There are many other things I appreciate about her. She is a wonderful person. I love about my dad that he does what he wants to do regardless of what other persons might think. Both never let the family down.
My mom is in hospital and I wanted to visit her today.
Myparents’ message:. do what you like, love family and be independent.
one positive thing: I love my work. It is very flexible in time and place. Wonderful!
A thing I love about my mom is her strength to move on in life with nothing stopping her. A thing I love about my dad is his sense of humor and his loving kindness (when he decides to show it:P)
A positive thing today is that I get to stay at home all day:)
What I love about my mom and dad are endless. They taught me about values, love, strife and moral. They taught me about faith in God and in myself, about trust and hard work to be the person I want to be. Like I said the list is endless.
I admire how active my parents still both are… not in an athletic sort of way… well my dad does golf almost everyday, but how they still persue and embrace life. My mom is very active in volunteer work.. almost a full time job… she maintains several gardens around her community at public buildings, she helps elderly folks run errands who can no longer drive or need assistance and she is a deacon at her church. My folks are both in their 70’s! They are currently on holiday and travel quite a bit around the states and Europe.. on their own.. no tours! I’m really proud of them and hope I have inherited thier drive for life at that age!
I called my mom on the 5th- doesn’t sound like much- but i live half way around the world and she was so delighted and surprised to hear from me… we mostly email cause of the time difference.
My PPP today (pleasently positive purcurements)
Called my mom… made me smile to make her happy today
Got some praise at work for the job I’m doing
Heard from and made arrangements to have dinner with an old friend I haven’t seen in months.
The one thing I love about my mom is how she is able to admit when she is wrong and apologizes when necessary. She is very humble and sweet.
I decided to help make dinner today and gave her a hug and told her I love her. I also plan to make dinner tomorrow!!!! She seemed really grateful because she must have had a hard day at work.
The one postive thing about today is the fact I started working on more scholarships!!!
When I was a teenager, the thing I remembered most was sitting on the front porch and talking to my dad. We didn’t do it a lot, but when we did, it was always a deep conversation. I learned a lot of things from him. Both good and bad. Some life lessons I took to heart, some I wish I would have listened to more!
My dad doesn’t live near me anymore, so I called him to talk for awhile. He’s feeling a little bummed about things that are going on in his life, and more than a little worried about what has been going on in mine. I tried to encourage him to take a trip he’s been talking about for awhile. He feels like he can’t with his current situation, but he really can. I’ll keep at it. I’d really like to see him go.
Positive things about my day: No meetings at work today. A friend text me and warned me the highway was backed up this morning, so I didn’t get stuck in traffic.
I would be flabbergasted if ANYone actually:
1. Finds this amongst all the days, all the posts….and we are on Day 6 now, to boot! :rolleyes:
2. Would actually read it all the way through!!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
It’s okay…it’s been a blast! :dance: Verrry healing and heartwarming :heart: task to write these important things and listen to the messages that still are alive and well even though my parents have passed on… :angel:
:heart: :angel: :heart:
I FEEL SO LOVED by the essence of who they were and still are in Spirit!!!
I am inspired to take all the messages to my heart of hearts! :heart: :hug: :angel: :heart:
DAY 5
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MESSAGES MY PARENTS WANTED TO CONVEY TO ME?
MOM
Mom would always quote my Uncle George who always said,
“Moderation in all things!”
I would hear this message time and time again throughout my life applied to just about any situation or issue or when there was any question about anything, Mom would say,
“You know what your Uncle George would say about that!”
Or “What’s that word that Uncle George would say?”
Or, “There’s that word again….good ole ‘Moderation’ !”
Most times, I would wince, or try to distract the statement in some clever, way. (Didn’t realize my complacency at the time…the cockiness of feeling invulnerable, of being a “know-it-all,” and in denial of consequences that my actions caused.
Throughout my life, I wildly and ongoingly fluctuated between discipline and indulgence, and it has only been later in life, that i surrendered to the discipline that freed me from the cage of indulgence and its consequences.
So now, I embrace the wisdom of:
“Moderation in all things.”
I do now embody this wisdom in my thoughts, actions, and in my heart and soul.
Love you Uncle George. :heart:
Love you Mom. :heart:
***
Also, I recall Mom saying that I, as a child, eager to learn and do, would so often say,
“I can do it myself!”
This determination started out early, when I was learning to tie my shoelaces, and Mom would refer to this time/attitude throughout my life when she wanted to further instill that sense of self-determination within me. :dance: Or remind me of what I had forgotten about myself. :heart: :hug: :D
I have often thought about this throughout my life, and I am encouraged by those stories and words Mom shared in hopes that I would always remember who I really was inside, from early on. When I am feeling discouraged or low in the self-confidence department, I remember the independent spirit and confidence that is deep within, and where I feel in the company of my Mom, her wisdom, and guidance. I hear her voice in mine, and I carry on…. :angel: :heart:
***
DAD…
AH yes, Dad…I most clearly hear his saying to me so often:
THINK FOR YOURSELF.
He would emphasize the “SELF” in a very distinct way. Like it had music in it, and I was to hear the symphony of wisdom in myself, (my True Self). And not go along with the crowd, losing myself in the process.
NOT “thinking for myself” has taken me down many many roads where, in retrospect, following the “thinking for myself’ would have been wiser and I would have been better off. Of course, all those roads have led me to this point….have made me who I am in this moment, how ever long it took, here I am. Took many experiences, some very repetitive, until I got “wise to myself” (another thing Dad would so often say:
GET WISE TO YOURSELF….BETTER GET WISE TO YOURSELF.
Today I think of the adage, “Above all, to thine own self be true.” (Shakespeare) And isn’t that what Dad was constantly reminding me of, really? I definitely, definitely think that it was, and it IS a wise and loving reminder to be true to myself, to know myself, and follow that inner wisdom. :heart:
Last, but not least. I simply MUST include in Dad’s biggest messages to embody his calling me his Blue Queen (he was my Green Knight), and he always reminded me that i have a tender loving heart, and to love and be kind always. “HAVE A PURE, GOLDEN HEART..” No matter what people will say or do, don’t let it get to me, just forget about it, and remember who I really am. :heart:
This really carries the deepest of all messages to me, today more than ever. I can stand up for what I believe in, but to react/get upset is just not worth it ! (definitely get this from my Dad). “To err is human, to forgive is Divine” comes to me as I write this. I STILL get challenged getting my feathers ruffled when someone pushes my buttons. (buttons I am working on disconnecting!! ;) !) I would rather just “Resist ye not” and move on! Put my energy somewhere else!
RECAP/REMINDERS TO EMBODY IN THOUGHT/WORD/ACTION/HEART AND SOUL
MODERATION
SELF-DETERMINATION
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
INDEPENDENT THINKER
FOLLOW INNER WISDOM OF MY TRUE SELF
BE KIND, LOVING, GOLDEN-HEARTED, FORGIVING, TRUE BLUE
:heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
WOW, CELES…this assignment really has given me ALOT (plus I feel much more connected to these values/ideals/wisdoms that I have inherited…puts me in touch with my true inheritance/who I truly, really am…and i feel connected to my parents’ and their loving spirits (I read a couple of treasured letters from my Mom, and i am having a very special connection with them at this time… :heart: VERRRY fulfilling :heart: ….THANK YOU, CELES!!!!!! :hug: :heart: :D :D :D :D Really makes me SMILE!!! (OH! I can put that on my LIST for DAY 6 ;) :heart: :D :D :D
P.S. Isn’t is funny that when I first read the task, I did not think I had much to say or do with the question/s!!!! ??? Go figure….Just goes to demonstrate how you just never know what all is “in there” (within) ready to be expressed/realized!!!
P.P.S. I forgot to answer the things I love about them…oh my….here goes….
******
POSITIVES and THINGS I MOST LOVED?LOVE ABOUT MY PARENTS
MOM- SHORT VERSION
:heart: Her Beauty shining through her beaming face and hearty laughter; her voice
:heart: Her playing “Beauty Parlor” with me, “dolling” me up! (great fond memories)
:heart: Taking time to read, share books, see movies with just me!
:heart: Her spending time with me:sewing, shopping, cooking, driving me around to all kinds of activities,appts
:heart: Encouraging me with my weight reduction, projects, school, activities
:heart: Her connection/talent/nurturing love shining through with babies and children
:heart: Her amazing “Green Thumb”..teaching me about planting, working together in the soil
:heart: Her wonderful cooking/making the house an orderly, clean, cozy home with aromas wafting every day, Her energy, her enthusiasm
:heart: Her kindness and compassion and sharing so much of herself with so many
:heart: Her sense of Beauty, her appreciation of Beauty, and her creating so many beautiful things!
:heart: Her gratitude
:heart: Her very keen sense of intuition
:heart: Her confidence
:heart: Her “Southern” expressions
:heart: Her common sense, knowing just what to do
:heart: Her respect for her parents, in thought, word, and deed (hey, at first they didn’t even approve of my Dad!…That relationship had some healing to do in the beginning of their marriage, then came the grandkids and they ended up adoring my Dad. I just love that story!) :heart:
:heart: Her spirituality and sharing that with me
MOM- LONGER VERSION (Love writing/elaborating on this…very heartwarming )
:heart: Her laugh, her smile, her twinkling eyes, her voice (I still hear her voice, and sometimes even when I speak! and Mom passed in 1991…..!!!) :D :angel: :heart:
:heart: Her encouraging words, our playing “Beauty Parlor” (when she’d style and play with my hair, making my naturally curly, wavy hair even more so, do mani/pedicures, the whole nine yards…she’d say “your hair is your crown and glory” love remembering those times :D :D :heart: :heart: :hug: :hug: :heart: :D :D
:heart: ALL those times when we would go shopping…”shop till you drop!”-shopping, and try on sooo many clothes and grab a bite to eat at the little luncheonette counter in the department store downtown (ohhh, how times have changed!!! :rolleyes: )…we’d leave the bags of our new finds in the trunk of the car if Dad was already home from work, and Mom said we’d get the bags later…she’d have to ease it to Dad how we “broke the bank.” :rolleyes:
:heart: ALL those countless hours of sewing/alterations she did for me to make my clothes fit “just right”…not an easy task through the years as my weight/size fluctuated. We would have all kinds of talks, and this was also a time for Mom to let out some things bothering her too… We would also have wonderful times laughing up a storm. Just me and Mom. :heart:
:heart: ALL those countless meals/banquets/feasts Mom would prepare. Enough food to feed an army! Even though there were plenty of people to enjoy all that food, Mom would send guests home with “care packages” and still we would still plenty leftover! Oh, also I have fondness for the love and care Mom put into her cooking, and when she taught me how to make a cake, etc. Also the times she would fix special foods for me that were on my food plan. Oh yes, and the midnight snacks/confidences…. :heart:
:heart: ALL the times Mom drove me to swimming lessons, (summer and winter), dancing classes, typing, sewing, medical appts., picked me up from all those athletic games i was in! On and on we would go! :heart:
:heart: ALL the times Mom would work with me with my spelling to make sure I had learned the correct spelling and the correct meaning/s of the words! It was not only the hard work that got me to be an excellent speller and have a great vocabulary…. it was the TIME and ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM and ENCOURAGEMENT she gifted me with. I think that is one of the reasons that I love words so much! Oh, also when she would help me with typing papers. :D :heart: Thanks, Mom. :heart:
:heart: The times we would take drives and notice Mother Nature’s beauty and the houses and landscaping.
:heart: The times we landscaped our homes, picking out the trees and shrubbery, flowers and plants. The love my Mom had of nature, and beauty and that she loved to share all that with me, and so many others…just so heartwarming to even think about it!!! :heart: :heart: :hug: :heart: :heart: And ohh my, did she ever have a green thumb…we had a huge a towering, abundant garden, sharing with neighbors.
:heart: I remember seeing 3 movies in the cinema with my Mom and all of them have been favorites ever since.
“Gone With the Wind,” “An Affair To Remember,” “Imitation of Life,” and “The Sound of Music.” Oh, and there were some zany Doris Day/Cary Grant movies that were fun. It was great to share in this way , rare that we did ( I was a real movie buff), but so meaningful. I love that she took the time to do that with just me. :heart:
:heart: I loved that Mom had such a kind, loving heart, and demonstrated all that love and kindness in her actions in so many ways, every day. She had this uncanny sense of how to care of and communicate with infants and toddlers and young children that was a beautiful thing to watch.
:heart: Having had an overload of church-going religiosity when she was growing up, Mom was not the church-goer that my Dad was. But when I was teaching jr/sr high school, Mom shared with me her spirituality and many books and classes and services she attended and cherished. That was something that was so sustaining for both of us, and we shared all that up until the end of her life here on earth.(except in MY heart, she still IS on earth in my heart! :D :heart: :angel: I have continued ever since being a seeker and continue to grow in Spirit, as does my Mom, I believe.
:heart: Thanks for all that, and more Mom, and for letting me know that you are still “there for me”….you are always “here” with me in my heart of hearts… I CELEBRATE YOU!!!!! :heart: :hug: :heart: :D :angel: :angel: :heart:
Since this is getting l-o-n-g……I will move on to
DAD
:heart: His unswerving faith. I vividly recall when I was in church service with Dad and he touched my hand and gave a light little squeeze during the benediction. Still feel that. The blessing continues…..
:heart: His always being there for me, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time
:heart: His consistency, dependability, sense of responsibility and fairness
:heart: His idealistic, romantic nature that he always felt deeply, his devotion to Mom.
:heart: His sense of play, fun, being comedic, his corny jokes (people would actually groan! Loved it!!!)
:heart: His unswerving self-discipline
:heart: His respect for higher learning/college education.
:heart: His love of music, especially from the era of the Big Bands.
:heart: His love of dancing, and the times we danced together…Dad had a different kind of rhythm and I adored the little smirk/grim he had on his face…he was just sooo happy dancing, he just wouldn’t stop!
:heart: His knowledge of flight and weather and maps and airplanes…he taught during WWII and always had a small airplane that he would dip the V tail when he flew over our house, and many many times I traveled with him in that airplane…”Bonanza 1-9-0-4, requesting permission for take-off…..” These are words he let me say into the microphone!!! Still so vivid!!! I was SO thrilled and excited and proud of my Dad.
:heart: His knowledge of many topics, his vivid memories he shared, his “staying current” with what was going on in the world and the trends of the day.
:heart: His diplomacy. His courtesy. His using those skills in business. I love all that.
:heart: Dad could fix ANYthing! I sooo admired that, often AMAZED by that.
:heart: Dad could fly a kite HIGHER and longer than anyone. He would draw quite a crowd. Again, I was soo proud. SO fun!
:heart: Dad LOVED to take pictures, and pictures he took! ALL throughout my life. (hear more groans). ANd I am soo glad to have thoses pics today!
:heart: Dad LOVED his “Christmas Garden”…which was two large platforms that he would set up for every Christmas…two platforms that held Lionel Trains and every known aspect/detail of life-villages bridges, churches, markets, businesses, he even made, with his BIG hands/fingers, little teensy clothes to hang up on a clothesline, and he would spend countless hours setting it all up, and then, showing it to ANYONE who would have an interest. IT WAS MAGICAL, and I LOVE him for creating all that for us all those years!!!! Eventually, after mannnny years, he actually had a room built specially to house the trains. Love you Dad, for all that pleasure and magic that is always with me!!!!
:heart: Dad LOVED antique cars, and started to collect and restore them for his hobby! As if he didn’t already have many hobbies!!! He would participate in all the parades and “ooogle” his horn, lighting up faces everywhere, including the times he would show up at nursing homes and delight the residents/staff there. I enjoyed many a ride in his “pride and joy,” Priceless memories for me and so many others and so much to LOVE! He also had a renown antique license plate collection, and shared those with anyone who wanted to take a look at “the olde days.”!!! All things “antique cars” continued until he passed on. His life was celebrated by many antique car afficionados.
.
:heart: Dad’s “joie de vie.” Unmistakable sense of enthusiasm and joy. Contagious and engaging. He LOVED making others happy, putting a smile on their faces! LOVE. STILL feel it. (and Dad passed in 1994!!!!)
:heart: Dad’s telling me all throughout my life how much he loved me, and to always remember that. :heart: H :angel: :heart: :hug: :heart:
Dad would take me to the mirror and say “Look how beautiful you are…just LOOK!” (Oh, my, had I seen what he saw!) But i got the message on some level then, and I hear his sincerity and feel his love just recalling these precious times/messages! :heart: :angel: :heart:
:heart: Dad’s sense of nurturing and concern for me. (It’s the little things that count so much!”) I recall in the days I would get dressed in layers to prepare myself to make it through the cold weather/riding the bus to school/walking, etc. What I remember the most about bundling up was how Dad would say “Wait a minute” and button up my coat the rest of the way, adjust my scarf and hat, and tell me to breathe into the scarf to keep warm. It is the tenderness and love with which he did that that touches me yet today. :hug: :angel: :heart:
OK, this is getting to be epic proportions for writing on a task!!!!! OH WELL…I am REALLY enjoying it and getting SO much benefit from it, I will save just ONE MORE thing about the things I MOST LOVE about DAD…. :heart: it was his sense of play and fun imagination :heart: . That would be..
..
:heart: When we would go to the beach/ocean when I was young, Dad would be “Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent” and I was the Blue Queen that he would rescue and take me to my castle where the Shining Knight (also him) would be awaiting the fair damsel. Ohhhh, the fun we had, being tossed about in the tumbly, wavy surf!!!
The “Blue Queen” “Green Knight” thing stuck, and stayed with us for the rest of our lives. That ‘s who we were to each other on every card, and sometimes, on special occasion, we would even say those words…. :heart: :hug: :angel: .
***
:heart: I love the Spirit of Generosity of both my parents, the kind and thoughtful way they interacted with others, the family conferences we would have where we all had a voice, and the Sunday drives we took out in the country, where I would have a slow ride around a circle on a friendly horse named “Silver Gray,” then we’d eat homemade vanilla frozen custard, and go the long way home, squeezing every last second out of a perfect day. :heart:
Embodying any of these wonderful qualities that I have now focused on and laid before me, is my joy today, and my passion, to live with personal excellence my best life, embracing and continuing the rich legacy of these wonderful people, my parents!
With deep gratitude and celebration….love you guys….. :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :angel: :hug: :hug: :hug:
*****
Anyone out there make it through this?!!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :lol: ;)
This task reminded me that I never bought my parents an anniversary card when they had their anniversary a few weeks ago. We spent the day together and went out for lunch, but I wanted to get them a card too. So yesterday I went out and bought an anniversary card and filled it out today so I can give it to them next time I see them. :)
My Mom died in 1995, but I still think of her every day. She taught by example, and her many attributes included tolerance and patience.
In turn, I’ve passed this on to my daughter (now 19) and I’m delighted that she has no prejudisms toward different cultures or lifestyles.
I talked to my daughter last night, and I think I’ll call her again today just to say Hi and tell her I love her … she’ll be surprised!
Had a wonderful day yesterday with my colleagues and my boyfriend! I am so fortunate …
Although my mom died in 1995, I still miss her every day. She was a teach-by-example type of person, and tolerance was one of the wonderful attributes that she role-modelled.
I’ve passed this virtue on to my daughter (who is now 19), and I’m delighted that she has no prejudisms against people of different cultures or preferences. Rather, an openness to learning …
Although I spoke to my daughter last night, I think I’ll give her a call today, just to say Hello. She’ll be surprised.
Had a very positive day yesterday with my colleagues and my boyfriend. Lucky me!
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