Charity sufferenth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
These verses rank among some of my very favorites because they remind me of the kind of person I want to be...they remind me of you Mom.
I've reviewed them many times over the years particularly when I'm struggling with my marriage. Yet, they are more than words on how to have a successful marriage; they teach me how to love my children and how to teach my children to love each other. For if love does not first appear in the closest relationships we have (between husband & wife, parent & child, sisters & brothers), how can we expect it to appear in relationships in the professional world, on the playing fields, in the school rooms, in the board room, or even on the highways.
From your example I learned that as parents, we must teach our children patience. Sometimes that means telling them no, even during the midst of a temper tantrum, allowing them to be angry at us instead of giving into their every wish. We must teach them to be kind at home first, and that kindness can overflow in how they treat neighbors and strangers. This is just one of many lessons I learned at home and tried to pass on to Brien and Wes. Thank you.
I also learned from you that our love as parents doesn't always protect our children from wrong decisions, bad friends and dangerous situations, but it does stand up for our children, giving hope when all seems hopeless and encouraging dreams when it seems dreams are lost. The love of a parent is unconditional.
Mom you taught me that at the end of the day it's not the party we didn't let them go to or the toy we didn't let them have. They might even laugh fondly at the restrictions and groundings they were forced to suffer (I know that looking back I'm very grateful for the discipline and correction I received). More importantly, my children will remember my love for them and how I did my best and tried to do unto others as I would have them do unto me and that most of all I loved my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. That is what I remember most about you.
Even though you are thousands of miles away, you are in my heart. I want to invite you to spend Christmas with us here in North Carolina. So since you can't be in two places at once, I thought this would be a creative way of including you in our celebrations. Please check back each day for a new post about Christmas. Merry Christmas Mom!
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