Dear Mom and Dad

Often times I go through life taking for granted the enormous amount of blessings that have been poured on me, but other times, including as I write this, I find myself brought to tears at the marvelous blessing of being a child of God. And today that also means being overwhelmed by the blessing of being a daughter to my amazing parents.

As a college kid, this is probably the blog you’re expecting me to write the least. But here I am, acknowledging just how stinkin awesome my parents really are and just how awesome my life has been. Yeah, you read that right. My Parents Are Awesome. And awesome people deserve to be thanked, so here are just a few things that I am so thankful to my parents for.

1) They raised me right.

I was taught to say “Yes/No Ma’am/Sir” and always say thank you when someone serves me. They took me to church and helped me with my homework. I was taught that honesty is the best policy and that integrity trumps everything. My mom showed me that it is okay to cry and be upset, but it is never okay to seek to upset someone else. My dad taught me that sometimes people disappoint you, but being happy despite those circumstances is so worth it. My parents had me try new food and consequently I will eat just about anything you put in front of me with no complaints. I clean up after myself and I know how to do all of the household chores. As far as respect goes, they taught me it all, and seeing the way so many people my age act makes me so thankful for the expectations my parents set for me.

2) They showed me what hard work looks like

My Mom and Dad are two of the most determined and hard working people I know. While they taught me all the respect and basic human decency, they also taught me that things won’t just be handed to me. My Dad has always been a working man, weather that means his “real” job, his volunteer services, or his just for fun projects. But just because he does it all, doesn’t mean it isn’t done well. My Dad has always been an amazing role model of balancing “get to’s” and “have to’s” and I’ll always admire his ability to get the job done. My mom has always excelled in whatever she does, despite changes to plans or things in her way. As a working woman, she still managed to keep our house in amazing condition and raise two daughters. She sets her mind to something and she pursues it, whether that means going back to college in her 30’s, pursuing a dream that lets her calling shine, or reinventing ways to do the things she has to get done. Mom, thank you for showing me that women really can do it all, and do it with excellence.

3) They love each other in a way that I yearn to have for myself

My Parents have the cutest love story. They are high school sweet hearts, dated for 6 years, and have been married for 20 years. They love each other and serve each other like no couple I’ve ever seen before. They make their marriage a priority and they are constantly reading books, attending conferences, and doing projects to better their relationship. They are not perfect by any means, but they always love each other and never give up. They have shown me exactly what it looks like to put the Lord at the center of your relationship, and I only hope that one day my marriage will look something like theirs.

4) They cheer me on even when I fail or don’t know what to do

I haven’t had the hardest life or made the worst decisions, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t need some support. Throughout middle school and high school, I had my fair share of disappointing heart breaks, confusing options, and wrong decisions. Whenever I failed, they helped me to my feet. Whenever I felt unlovable, they showed me love. Whenever I did something that disappointed them, they chose to see the good in me. And whenever I had absolutely no idea what to do, they encouraged me in the right direction. They make me better and tell me that I can conquer the world. They cheer for me at whatever I take on. They love me wherever I am in life. Thank you Mom and Dad for being my number one fans and biggest cheerleaders.

5) They love me like every daughter needs to be loved

While this sounds just like #4, there is actually another side to this. As a college-aged woman, I’ve been discovering the world and seeing it through new eyes. I’ve seen some terrible situations in the lives of those around me. From divorce, to abandonment, to affairs, to lack of support and education, and any other broken family situation you can think of. Now I am not writing this blog to say that my parents are perfect or that my life has been easy or that anyone else’s situation is less than mine. Why I am writing this blog is to say Thank You to the parents that I do have. The parents that have loved me so well. They inspire me, teach me, lead me, encourage me, and love me. They are the parents I was blessed with, and I want them to know that their effort is not unnoticed and their love is not unappreciated. So…

Mom and Dad, Thank You.