Life offers so much to us when we’re young. There are so many goals and dreams to be chased, with lots of people to love and have amazing times with, all while juggling your career.
It’s so easy to get absorbed with the pace we run that we’ve forgotten to look back at our parents. It is so common to forget spending time with the 2 people who raised us.
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Amy Rees Anderson is a writer and she had the same realization.
Her parents dropped by to leave her birthday gift even though she was in Arizona for her birthday, and that’s when she had a realization. Amy watched her elderly parents walk down her front steps.
Her father held her mother’s arm as they slowly went down the steps of the porch. Watching them made Amy realize just how quickly time flew by.
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Her parents suddenly seemed so old. She was so busy with her own life that the years went by without even realizing that her mom and dad were aging.
Kids see their parents as strong adults who never seem to age. Our dads seemed larger than life, working hard and protecting the family by any means necessary. Our moms take care of the home while raising us.
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Amy was no different, seeing her parents as strong, resilient adults who seemed to be young forever.
And yet seeing her white-haired mom so fragile with her gray-haired father, who walks much slower, both in their 70s, had her realize that soon, her parents would no longer be around.
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The thought brought tears to Amy’s eyes, and she had to admit that the reality of losing them someday is not something she is prepared for.
Amy’s parents have been her guide and anchor her whole life. She always got advice from her father and sympathy from her mother. Imagining them gone is simply too heartbreaking.
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That’s when she came to this realization.
Amy knew then and there that she needed to spend more time with her parents. She is making it a priority, to the point wherein seeking their advice for every detail in her life mattered.
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She wants them to share more stories about their lives including all the lessons they learned. Those lessons will someday be of a lot of help to her. Then she is going to make sure that they know how much she loves them.
Amy wants to make sure her parents know how much they mean to her, and she’ll be doing it while they’re still here to hear it in person.
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You are blessed if both your parents are still alive.
They’re not perfect, but they did their best in raising us. Someday, mom and dad will no longer be around.
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Make the effort when you have time. Call and drive to their place, and visit on the holidays. Make wonderful memories together while they are still around.
Time is racing against all of us.
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