There comes a point in life when one realizes just how much parents do. Sometimes it's when you have your first kid, other times it's just after a moment of thinking about it; however, today it just kind of kicked me in the face. Parents do a ton.
There are a few things that parents do that we all know and love and that we're all greatful for. They were the ones that changed our diapers, drove us all over the place and taught us the basic ins and outs of life, and despite all of these good things, there's more! Today, I took note of a few of the random things I never thanked my parents for and wrote them down. Then, I thanked them for them. Here's a few I came up with:
Family vacations
Planning for my college expenses 18 years in advance
Helping with car insurance and phone bills
Making sure I had a job and work experience
Teaching me about saving money
Giving me a home to always come back to
Now, this is a short list, and I could go on and on, but these things really stuck out to me. Some of these things seemed so small at the time, so small that they were, sadly, unnoticed. But now, I notice. I notice how blessed I am to have the parents that I've had and realize that not everyone does. I notice not only the extreme amounts of money they have supported me with (trust me, you never know how much a family vacation can cost until you try to plan one just for yourself), but also the extreme amounts of time, effort and planning.
Parents (especially mine) are super heroes in my book. It's truly amazing the amount of love parents can have for kids, which, to me, amplifies the love that God must have for us. So, shoutout to you, parents. Thank you for being absolutely super, and thank you for every little random thing you've ever done, from teachings of how to properly eat at the dinner table to every single family vacation, birthday party and sporting event you've ever been behind the scenes at. Without you, life literally wouldn't be possible. And as for you, kids, tell your parents, "thank you" sometime this week for something random. They'll light up.
-Cliff
Cliff's Note: Make saying 'thank you' to your mom and dad a regular thing; they deserve it.