Why Parents Matter – a Guest Post

Photo Credit: Creative Commons – whiskeygonebad

Parents have a big influence on us, no matter how long we are lucky enough to have them in our lives.

I lost my Dad to cancer when I was only 14.

Over the years, many people have said that I was robbed of having my Dad in my life.

I have certainly felt that way at many times.

It’s Not Fair

There were plenty of “not-so-nice” Dads still on earth. Why did mine have to die when I was so young?

However, as I have gotten older, my perspective has changed. I no longer feel robbed. I am no longer angry. I now feel extremely grateful.

My Dad was an amazing person. He loved Jesus. He loved life. He loved his family. He had a servant’s heart. He was a great example of unconditional love.

Of course, I didn’t understand all of this at that time. I just loved him because he was my Dad, and he loved me.

Lingering Lessons

But, now that I am a parent, I realize how impactful those 14 short years were.

Even though we never had an adult conversation, he taught me everything I needed to know through his actions. And I am still learning from him as I remember how I watched him act in his everyday life.

How he….

• Helped others without being asked
• Paid attention to everyone
• Made you feel special in his presence
• Only used kind words
• Was incredibly honest
• Worked incredibly hard
• Loved nature
• Loved people

I continually try to live by the example that he set before me. I know I am incredibly lucky to have had such an awesome role model to look up to. I am learning to live a better story, and I am thankful that he was such a big part of mine.

Question: What parent lessons continue to resonate with you?

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EdiTOR’s Note: Our family recently delivered our third child. As such, some blogging buddies of mine have graciously offered to write a series of guest posts to allow my family to spend a little time together – away from this blog. I’m deeply grateful for such friends, and I hope you enjoy their writing!

Today’s guest post comes from Tammy Helfrich who’s a wife, mom, daughter and friend who writes about life, marriage, encouragement, and motivation. She blogs regularly at http://tammyhelfrich.wordpress.com/about/guestwelcome/