Parents

I had a great talk on the phone with my mom yesterday. She is a very wise woman and very good an encouraging others. Since Joe and I moved downed to Georgia and further away from both our families, I've been thinking more about family and about my growing up. Because I'm now married, I'm also thinking about my future family, like when Joe and I have kids. That in turn has made me think about what I was like when I was a kid and what it will be like when I'm a parent. There are so many things I realize now about myself that I could have never thought of when I was a kid and I know I'll be able to observe from the other side (when Joe and I actually do have kids which we're aren't planning on right at the moment in case all of you reading this thought that this post sprouted from some unexpected news which it didn't). For instance, and I think all children do this, I took my parents for granted all the time right up until I graduated college. I'm sure I still do it, but I still have a lot of growing up to do. Like for instance, one thing that has stuck out in my mind a lot recently is a treehouse my dad built my brothers and I when we were younger. It was a freakin awesome treehouse and everything, but for some reason my brothers and I only played in it a little bit. I don't really know why. We really liked it. Another thing that I know I took for granted was every night during high school, if my brothers or I had homework that was taking us a long time to do, my mom would sleep on the couch in the other room, just so we wouldn't be working alone downstairs. I know we appreciated it, but I don't think we understood the sleep and time sacrifice that our mom gave us. I think the biggest sacrifice for them was me and my brothers going to college. Especially me because looking back at college I'm sure there was a lot more I could have gotten out of it. I had a great time in New York I just also know it was a big sacrifice for my parents.

Don't get me wrong, my brothers and I loved our parents and we really did appreciate the things they did for us. I just think that we didn't understand what they were doing for us everyday. It kind of makes me stop and think how all of us, old, young, man, woman, take our Heavenly Father for granted. Especially in America He has given us so much. God loves us unconditionally the way that my parents love my brothers and I and even our new spouses (well my brother's getting married on June 14th, but his fiance, Alyssa, has been in the family so long that it's like they're already married) unconditionally. When Joe and I get to be parents we will have the same privilege of unconditionally loving our children, even when they take us for granted.

As a closing note I just want to say thanks mom and dad for unconditionally loving me and raising me to know a Heavenly Father. I love you!