Category: Thankfulness

Thankful, consciousness, humble

Thankful Midlife Parent

Are you a thankful midlife parent, or maybe thankful midlife grandparent? Gauran-dang-tee I am.

Most married couples think parenting is an entitlement.  Cheryl and I can tell you first hand it doesn’t work that way for all couples.

So, being a mid life Dad makes me thankful beyond any mortal effort to describe it.  Seriously.

But I’ll try.  Here goes.  This is simply a typical revelation, in the journey my son and I have each day. It’s something I’ve been sharing and teaching him with unwavering commitment.

“Once you learn to be honest, it is no longer something to fear. Once you don’t tell the truth, it becomes easier to do it again.”

Honesty builds trust.  Trust reinforces honesty.  And honesty becomes a habit. Simple, but not easy.

People Were Thankful

The Families we visited yesterday were very thankful for the Food donations that were delivered:

We visited an upscale home for the first time in ten years.  My son and I received warm and grateful greetings at every stop. One man even gave me a big hug.

I reminded our son (9) why we started this “three-times-a-year Food For Families tradition” ten years ago.

“If two boys are standing next to an adult, and one uses his manners and the other doesn’t which one do you think the adult will trust more?”

“If two adults say serving others is important, but one actually does and the other only hopes to one day, which one do you think God will say, well done?”

In telling our son why we do this, even though it may seem small, we are actually preparing ourselves to do more. By putting others first every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter morning, we are developing a habit similar to using manners.

We are cultivating good habits.  That’s all we can really ask of ourselves, isn’t it?

Food For Families

Central Florida volunteers gather at a local High School every Thanksgiving Day morning to pick up and deliver boxes of food to needy Families.

Tomorrow will be our tenth year of this Thanksgiving Day family tradition.

A decade ago, and even before Cheryl was pregnant, I suggested to her that we find a way to show our children that we are here to serve and not to be served.

This is a simple, and seemingly insignificant act of kindness influences our thinking, and our actions, all year long.

A Publix Grocery Store Produce manager started Food For Families many years ago.  With help from Central Florida Churches, Schools, and community members, needy Families are identified.

The Central Florida Community also delivers Food for Families on Christmas morning and Easter morning, providing us opportunities to put others first on three special days where we traditionally didn’t.

Family Traditions

Family traditions help form a bond.  Traditions help give stability to people in a crazy, often times confusing world.

Traditions help families know who they are and what their family believes in.

Traditions help give order, and establish priorities.

Family traditions teach.  And mark the passage of time.

Family traditions celebrate.

Daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, annually.

Family traditions are one of the most powerful midlife parenting tools available. But only if you focus on them. Ya with me?