As a Parent…

With raising six children, and also homeschooling them, I know I messed up along the way.  A lot. They’d be the first to raise their hands in affirmation. 

As a parent we might be nervous as we send these little pieces of ourselves out into the world. I was. After all, the world is not near as forgiving as we tend to be. 

But we do send them on their way, don’t we? Even though it’s often painful for us. And we send them out without that note pinned to their jacket stating where they should be returned if found. 

Once out in the world, as a parent, we might wonder what the world thinks of our offspring. I’m thankful that I don’t see them in orange jumpsuits on the front page of our community newspaper. Or, on the Police Incident Reports page. Or, on the post office bulletin board. 

So I am extremely grateful for conversations like I had yesterday evening. But first we need to go back in time for a second.

About 3 1/2 years ago, I had to buy a refrigerator. I went into our hometown appliance store and talked with a young man whose family owns the store. As he helped me order the refrigerator, we talked a great deal about many things. Politics, homeschooling, family, etc. Then I shared with him that my youngest son was going through an extremely hard time. He was going through a nasty divorce and had to move back to Indiana from Florida. He was in desperate need of a job. This young man told me to send him in to fill out an application. Two days later, Ezekiel went in. 

Fast forward to yesterday evening.

D and I went to the same appliance store because our dishwasher needs to be replaced. Ezekiel was our salesperson. The young man who I first spoke to 3 1/2 years ago was there as well. 

When Ezekiel needed to help another customer, this young man recalled our initial conversation, of which he still greatly appreciates. He said, “When Ezekiel walked in a couple of days later, he was clean, nicely dressed, and very kind to us.” He continued by laughing, “There was no need for Ezekiel to fill out an application. We just needed to hire him!” He is very happy that Ezekiel is a part of their team. He had wonderful things to say about him. And what a blessing the company has been to Ezekiel.  

When you receive compliments from the those in the community about your children, it is verification that perhaps you did do something right along the way.

Yeah, I can tell you every single thing I did wrong during their growing up years, but it’s really hard for me to see any of the right things I did. Why is that? 

This wasn’t the first time I’ve had good feedback concerning my kids. And that makes me very proud. This is exactly what you desire as a parent. This is your ultimate goal as a parent. You want to know that your children are good and kind and upstanding in your small corner of the world. 

♥️

Andi