|
02/01/2018
Dr. Laura:
This is a tribute to my Dad. My parents had four children, all close in age. My father was a salesman, and my Mom worked weekends as a nurse when my father was free to stay home with us. I have many memories of weekends with Dad, heading to the sporting goods store to walk up and down the aisles and dream of being a ballplayer or tennis star. We didn't have a lot of money then, so we rarely bought anything, but one time, my Dad bought a catcher's glove that cost eighty dollars! It was the start of endless hours in our yard with all four of us learning to throw balls.
We even made it to a few Detroit Tigers' games. We were always in the bleachers and we always stopped at the grocery store beforehand to buy our own snacks, which were more affordable than those at the ballpark. We went early and watched batting practice too. We'd spend the whole day there (which I'm sure was a good way to keep four small kids occupied), but we loved every minute of it.
Our family was involved at church, and my Dad never missed going on Sundays. When we were all in our late teens and not that interested, I once told him I wasn't even sure if I was a believer. He said to me "I don't have all the answers, but I have so much joy and happiness in my life that I find it easy to take one hour during the week to go to church and say thank you for all my blessings." That was a lesson learned for me too.
We even started a family tradition of going to nursing homes to sing Christmas carols around holiday time (my mom worked at a nursing home for a while, so that's how it started). I do this now with my own family. My kids love it and I'm hoping they carry it on to their families when they have them too. But the greatest gift my Dad gave to us kids was the example of how to love your spouse and your children. All four of us have intact marriages and great families, and I have both of my parents to thank for that!
Alex
|
