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Be There For Them
By Administrator | October 16, 2005
Ellen’s first post was on A Rewarding Perspective. In it she wrote, “Feelings of exhaustion can fog your perspective.” This week a teacher reminded me that feelings of frustration could fog our perspective too.
This Friday morning my youngest daughter Abby, now 14, called me from the bus. “Dad” she said “I was running to the bus and dropped my purse on the sidewalk. I realized it when the bus was pulling away. Can you go get it for me?” After getting the important information such as where it was and that she had no money in it, I told her I would go.
I was not happy though! It meant missing the first half of our 3rd through 5th grade chapel. On my way out I passed a teacher at the copy machine. I mumbled, “Do you want my daughter Abby? You can have her because I am going to kill her!” We both laughed and out I went. In my 20 minutes alone in the car I began to realize how insensitive that comment was. The teacher I spoke those words to lost her youngest daughter, a young adult, just last year. Her loss was deepened by the fact that she and her husband had instantly become “empty nesters”.
I found the purse just where Abby said it would be. When I returned to school I decided to miss the second half of chapel and go and talk to this teacher. She was very gracious and stated the words did not offend her. Then she gave me some words of perspective.
Her words went something like this: Some day you will long for the opportunity to bless your children. You will be at a place where you wish there was something you could do for them. Just remember, the frustrations and pressures will come and go, but make sure your children will always remember that you were there for them when they needed you.
She has a good point.
May God’s grace and peace be with you,
Mark Strohm, Jr.
Topics: From Mark, Parenting | No Comments »