When I was younger I could go away for weeks in the summer and rarely feel lonely- in fact I thrived when I was away from home in someplace new.
It seemed that in the 3 years I worked as a counselor at Timberline Ranch I always seemed to get the really homesick campers in my cabin - ones who would cry night after night despite all my attempts to console them (including letting them sleep in my bed with me). I learned how to be patient and comforting but could never quite understand what it felt like to miss my family that much.
I was a spirited child - I saw my life as that of a wild stallion - beautiful and free. If I felt held down at home, getting away from it was complete bliss. I did appreciate the home and family I had..but not enough.
Now that I am away from my parents and living on dorms, I am becoming more grateful for their dedication to me each and every day. I get to see them once a week on thurs, when I go back to Coquitlam to volunteer as a leader for MSY. Time spent with them is precious and I realize that there is so much about their lives that I still do not know.
But I want to know! I want to know what their goals and dreams and lives were like when they were young adults! The gift of their wisdom is sitting in front of me ready to open! Why havent I wanted to unwrap it before? because I have been selfish, wanting to figure out things my own way rather than asking them for help.
My mom drove me home from school on Thurs and I can honestly say that there was nowhere else I would have rather been than sitting in that car, stuck in 4:30 Surrey traffic, talking with her, asking her questions about her life, and taking everything in. After MSY that night I spontaneously took my Dad out for coffee. I dont know if I have ever spent hours just talking to him about life and seeking his advice before. I think I learned more about him in those 2 and half hours than in the past 2 months!
Getting to know my parents as friends is even more rewarding than I could have imagined. They have wisdom and insight that no friends my age can offer - plus they know me better than anyone =) what more could I ask for?
The more time I spend building relationship with my parents and learning from their experience, the more I look forward to seeing them when I get the opportunity. It is freakin awesome! I desire to know them so well that I will not look back when they pass away and regret taking time I could have spent getting to know them for granted.
I challenge you to spend time getting to know your parents better...Invest it wisely! Seek their advice and you will not only gain a greater relationship with them and valuable wisdom, you will also learn about yourself in the process! Parents are Gifts of Wisdom from God placed before us.
Proverbs 23:22 "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old."
Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
It seemed that in the 3 years I worked as a counselor at Timberline Ranch I always seemed to get the really homesick campers in my cabin - ones who would cry night after night despite all my attempts to console them (including letting them sleep in my bed with me). I learned how to be patient and comforting but could never quite understand what it felt like to miss my family that much.
I was a spirited child - I saw my life as that of a wild stallion - beautiful and free. If I felt held down at home, getting away from it was complete bliss. I did appreciate the home and family I had..but not enough.
Now that I am away from my parents and living on dorms, I am becoming more grateful for their dedication to me each and every day. I get to see them once a week on thurs, when I go back to Coquitlam to volunteer as a leader for MSY. Time spent with them is precious and I realize that there is so much about their lives that I still do not know.
But I want to know! I want to know what their goals and dreams and lives were like when they were young adults! The gift of their wisdom is sitting in front of me ready to open! Why havent I wanted to unwrap it before? because I have been selfish, wanting to figure out things my own way rather than asking them for help.
My mom drove me home from school on Thurs and I can honestly say that there was nowhere else I would have rather been than sitting in that car, stuck in 4:30 Surrey traffic, talking with her, asking her questions about her life, and taking everything in. After MSY that night I spontaneously took my Dad out for coffee. I dont know if I have ever spent hours just talking to him about life and seeking his advice before. I think I learned more about him in those 2 and half hours than in the past 2 months!
Getting to know my parents as friends is even more rewarding than I could have imagined. They have wisdom and insight that no friends my age can offer - plus they know me better than anyone =) what more could I ask for?
The more time I spend building relationship with my parents and learning from their experience, the more I look forward to seeing them when I get the opportunity. It is freakin awesome! I desire to know them so well that I will not look back when they pass away and regret taking time I could have spent getting to know them for granted.
I challenge you to spend time getting to know your parents better...Invest it wisely! Seek their advice and you will not only gain a greater relationship with them and valuable wisdom, you will also learn about yourself in the process! Parents are Gifts of Wisdom from God placed before us.
Proverbs 23:22 "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old."
Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
Unwrap them! and you just might be surprised ;)
Tessifer
Tessifer
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