Being A Blessing

Photo Property of C.K. Nelson not to be reproduced or copied

Being a Blessing

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being able to spend some time with, and visit my Grandparents. Our girls ran around the spacious country plot and did what I did there as a child, roll in laughter and make up adventures. It was amazing for me to watch a wonderful new memory being made while an old one was being recalled. Oh, how I loved my summers there.

As we were about to leave I noticed how there was four generations, right there, on that very porch. How blessed are we. Some friends of mine are already starting to lose parents to death, and here, we had not only our parents there, but our grandparents with us too. What a true gift from the Lord that most seem to take for granted.

I began to think about getting older, something most of us don't think too much on – understandably, what fun is there in that. I also thought about the role of parents and children and how they relate to the passing of time and growing in years.

My husband, often times, has joked with our children asking, “When I get older since I changed your diaper, are you gonna change mine?”. If you haven't guessed, his type of humor is the off the wall kind, and that's just what that question is, his humor coming out to play. That comment is a joke that leaves him laughing because the girls will then cringe and squeal at the thought of a poopy diaper. That's right. I said poop. Before parenthood it's a word seldom used, but as a parent it's in as frequent use, as air.

Here is the surprising part, not my husband actually asking this, after cringing about poop, the girls with all the love in their hearts say, “Don't worry Daddy. When you and Mommy are old we will take care of you, even if we have to change your diapers.” Let me just say, I love their blessed little four and six year old hearts! Here he was trying to pull their leg and they used that as an opportunity to show true love is as wide as it is deep as it it is tall.

I wanted to know, how many adults would show that same love to their aging parents? The answer, a surprising 20 million , which is over 80 percent of care, is provided by families, as seen here: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/lifechallenges/life_transitions/caring_for_ill_or_aging_parents.aspx. Wow! Keep up the good work for those who are already helping and for those who aren't let's change that!

Helping parents out as routine things become more complicated like mowing the yard, power washing the house, weeding the garden is something all family members should start to take on as these things no longer appear to be a luxury of capability for parents, yet they maintain the responsibility of accomplishing. Let us find ways to be a blessing to our parents.

Our parents have done their best to show us love, to provide for us and to help us. (This is care work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_work). As our parents age it IS our turn to show them love, and in ways to provide for and to help them. The love, support and help need not be equivalent to what they have given because it's not an exchange system. It is an expression of love, one that should be just as tall as it is wide as it is deep. Although it is not an exchange system, something worth noting is that our children WILL SEE how we treat our parents and care for them as they begin to depend upon us, and our response to our parents and what we do is how we will be teaching our children in turn, to treat us – let's be a good example and let us follow the direction given in the Bible:

1 Timothy 5:4 “...Children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+5%3A4&version=NIV . Pretty clear right? Now that we know, the next step is A-C-T-I-O-N.

I would love to hear back from you and hear about how your actions are blessing family members older than you.

Has this post in any way inspired you to helping out more? In what ways?

May God bless you as you bless others.