Today I’m grateful for all the Dad Jokes I’ve told throughout the years
(I have this never-ending file)
Grateful that all the moans and groans and head shaking…
is always followed by a smile.
In fact I’m happy to say even after all these years
I’m telling Dad Jokes still…
Because
although I get a little older every day
my dad jokes never will
May we be blessed to nurture our children’s wings
So when they don’t need our constant guidance anymore
Not only will they be ready to fly…
they’ll be ready to soar.
Whenever we visit with our children or grandchildren two distinct emotions flow over me.
As I marvel at who they’ve become my mind drifts back to a time when they were three.
A time when life was a little more innocent, less troubled, more carefree.
A time when they were small enough to sit upon my knee.
Whenever we get together and moments of the present mix with moments of the past
I wonder where the years have flown…and how time has moved so fast.
Even though I’ve been lucky to be here to watch my children and grandchildren grow
Every time we get together I wonder…how can yesterday have been so long ago?
Wasn’t it only yesterday they were crawling…
when they took their first steps toward me?
Wasn’t it only yesterday they were sitting upon my knee?
We begin this journey through life together…
and along the way a host of memories we collect.
Old memories that mix with new memories
every time our now separate journeys intersect.
Of course that’s the way it is supposed to be…
time moves on…and children grow
As parents we’re meant to enjoy the memories we make today
As well as those made long ago.
It’s a precious gift time gives us…that lasts through our eternity…
A chance to visit our children and grandchildren as they grow
At the same time time we visit a time when the sat upon our knee.
Today I’m grateful for shoulders…
I have been blessed to have stood on my ancestors shoulders…
Blessed the way our lives have intertwined….
And I hope someday my children and grandchildren will feel blessed
to have stood on top of mine.
We will all have certain burdens in our life…
a life that will be long and diverse enough to vary them…
May we be blessed that whatever burdens life throws at us…
we have shoulders strong enough to carry them
When I think about the way I was created…every part of my body is enchanted…
from those parts I rely on every day…to those I take for granted.
Take my shoulders for instance..there was a time when I was young
and I looked in the mirror…at my shoulders I would scoff.
thinking their only use in life is to keep my arms and head from falling off.
It wasn’t until years later…when I became a Dad
I began to fully realize the importance my shoulders had.
Yes, once I had children it didn’t take me very long
to realize why my shoulders were there…and why they needed to be strong.
When my children were small and innocent…when life was so brand new
they would ride upon my shoulders to get a better view.
When they were ready to be on their own…as their life unfurled….
I was glad I had shoulders for them to stand on
as they stepped into the world.
One important thing my children taught me…that helped me as a parent gel…
is that my shoulders not only needed to be strong…but needed to be soft as well.
Strong so they can lean on them whenever they’re filled with dread
and soft when they need comfort and a place to lay their head.
As long as I am living I hope my children (and grandchildren) will be aware
when and if they ever need them…my shoulders will be there.
These days when I think about my shoulders I no longer scoff…
I no longer think their only purpose in life
is to keep my arms and head from falling off.
No, these days when I look in the mirror…I am instantly elated…
because I now know exactly whey my shoulders were created.
Today I’m grateful for a better understanding of what a hero is:
for 72 years life has been my teacher
And she has taught me a hero
is anyone determined to make this world a better place
for every living creature.
