When my sisters and I began planning my folks suprise 40th anniversary party, we were faced with the daunting task of trying to convey to them the magnitude of the gratitude each of us feels. To say we love, respect and appreciate them is such a gross understatement. I can't think of a wife, mother and friend I would rather emulate than my mom and I know the reason I chose such an incredible man to be my husband is a direct result of searching and finding qualities I so deeply admire in my own dad. So, I had an idea. Well, actually, Dennis Rainey had an idea when he wrote the book, The Tribute. I have had it for over 5 years now, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when we began planning this. The concept is to put to paper a tribute to your parents, to honor them publicly and present them the end product. Not only was the result a beautiful time of honoring and thanking them with loved ones, but also a lot of fun. It was so great to reminisce with my sisters favorite childhood memories and share them with my parents. It seems to me in a day where blaming parents for anything and everything seems to be the norm, there is no better way to honor your parents than to thank them for what they've done right. In my case, that was easy. I would encourage anyone to at least check out Rainey's book and see where it leads you. It offers insightful thoughts on paying tribute to your parents regardless of the type of parents you were given. I am so thankful we decided to do this now and not wait until their 50th anniversary!
No comments:
Post a Comment