I have realized how busy I have been for the
last so long. Sometimes I wish for time to sleep or just bum. A week comes and
passes as though it were a whirlwind! I have this to do, that errand to run and
yes, so and so to meet before I realize its Saturday evening… on my way home
via the market. Is all this by choice? Is it possible that I can sleep in late,
wake up have breakfast at lunch everyday, if I so wished? I am still trying to
find that out and more so the consequences.
This last weekend was busy as usual but the
fun of meeting my husband’s extended family for an overnight gathering scared
away the tired feeling that was slowly creeping in. I was elated by how his
family bonded. One could hardly tell a distant cousin from an immediate one.
The elder ones took the chance to give some invaluable advise to the young.
These people care and love each other so much to see any of them go down the
wrong road. How admirable is that! Such an amazing culture, no wonder they were
all doing so well. Suddenly I realized that the picture you see of a person is
a true reflection of their family values. It is hard for any of them to be
shaky when they are evidently set on such a solid foundation. It dawned on me
why my husband has so much love in his heart. Why he has such countless number
of friends, good friends who know the value of a true friend. Who over time
have counted on him and him on them. It is this foundation that has molded him
into this wonderful being. Teaching him why being true to you and to the world
is.
Now I understand why most people live such
loveless lives. Living as though the world owed them for being in it. They move
around in their combat gear… all they know is how to hate, revenge and are
bitter souls trying to cut you in on a parking space. Insulting the inefficient
waitress, complaining bitterly to the bank teller finding fault in everybody
and endlessly doubting those who love them. I gather they are crying out for
attention because they feel trapped in their loveless lives. Theirs is a
foundation problem; I know so because after such a lovely Saturday night I was
excited about a time with the kids at a famous monthly family function.
Everything was perfectly fine until most of the teenagers who were obviously
there unaccompanied started drinking and smoking away. God knows what these
kids smoked because after a few hours they had turned all wild and
uncontrollable. One boy was particularly notable… this boy was smart and trendy
until he started falling helplessly and laughing as he rolled.
He made my heart sink, I felt sorry for him,
yes sorry. Where were his parents? What kind of parents were they? Have they
ever given him any kind of life lessons? Could they have allowed him
unaccompanied because he would be occupied and not bother them? All those
questions and more went on in my mind. I have repeated told my 8year old son
that he can be anything, anything he chooses to be in the world. But should he
ever choose to be a bad person, the world will be equally bad to him so he had
better choose the path to being a person of good character, the reward will be
obvious.
Raising a child is a challenge that
intensifies with each waking day. As a parent I have no doubt that we are
responsible for these little people and for who they become in life when they
are grown. I just hope that each parent can raise his or her child to be the
person who puts a smile on God’s face.
