My Father's Gift

As a kid, I always looked forward to payday, for often my dad would come home from work with a surprise for my sister and me. A Hershey bar, a ruler or new pencils - these little gifts were ways my dad said "I love you." What kid doesn't delight in getting a gift from her dad?

Now that I'm older, one of the gifts I recognize that my father has bestowed upon me is the gift of patience. I'm generally an impatient person, not so much with others but with myself and the things I do. I want everything now. I want a blooming display of flowers but not the work associated with them. I want my house to be clean and organized and nicely decorated - now. I want to accomplish all my dreams today!

Visions come to mind of my dad and his meticulous patience in everything he does. There's a right way to do things, no matter how long it takes. He puts things away when he's finished with them, wrapping up cords, disposing of the last little bit of trash. And he always allows himself plenty of time to accomplish these tasks. I can hardly ever remember my dad rushing or fretting about things. This beauty of taking his good old time is part of this idea of patience - the idea of making room and time for patience to work.

I'm not doing such a great job here of expressing what I feel and that's possibly because it's something I've only come to realize as of late. But there's a sense of calm that comes over me when I'm doing something and I remember to slow down and take my time. And I think I have my dad to thank for instilling in me this sense of patience. It's just one of the many things I appreciate about him, and I hope I can thank him by living it out.

Thanks Dad - I love you!