My mom turns 100 on January 31st. She gets around well and her mind is still sharp. She lives with my sister but is remarkably independent for her age. We are having a party for her on February 5th. She has outlived many of her friends but there has been a surprising number of people that want to come and celebrate with her. It will be a fun party!
So, my immediate family has decided to write a tribute to her and put it on fancy paper and put it in a frame. (Don’t worry she doesn’t read my blogs!) As we sat around at Christmas time talking about what we would write, it was so much fun remembering stories, laughing, and identifying where my mom impacted our
lives. One thing that I have written in my tribute is that I’m so grateful that my mom taught me to be a reader and love books. She regularly took me to the library and made sure there was plenty of time to explore and discover books I would like. This set my life on a course where learning, reading, and discovering new things have been a passion and communicating those discoveries to others, a joy.
There is a good book by Dennis Rainey called The Tribute and the Promise- How honoring your parents will bring blessing in you life. He talks about the sometimes-difficult relationships that children and parents have with each other and how working through feelings of hurt and forgiveness is a way to obey God’s command to honor your father and mother. He also talks about how to write a tribute to them and the blessing that comes with honoring your parents. In one of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:12 it says, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Somehow honoring our parents and living long are connected.
If your parents are still alive, would you consider ways you can honor them? Maybe read Rainey’s book and take some time to reflect on how your parents have impacted you. Maybe even write down the key positive ways and give it to them in a letter or a tribute. You will honor them as you do.