My dear parents were such wonderful examples to me.  They both overcame various obstacles in their lives and like all of us, they weren’t perfect, but as I’m a parent now it is obvious to me that they did so many things correctly.  I’m very grateful for a few things in particular.  I miss them, but I am so lucky to have tremendously happy memories.

Because of my faith and personal testimony, I know I will, in some way, see them again one day.  I don’t pretend to know exactly how that will work but I know we are connected for eternity.  I believe that about families.

Here are just a few things, in no particular order, that my sweet parents did very, very right.

1.  They loved each other. They weren’t “lovey dovey” but their actions, sacrifices, and priorities made it obvious to me that they loved each other very much.  What a blessing that is to me now, to remember that.

2.  They took us to church.  They were never preachy or pushy or “judgy”; they gave us a choice about to what degree we would follow in their footsteps, religion-wise, but I never doubted their faith.  Again, what a blessing this is to me today.

3.  They knew how to have fun, and they didn’t need much money to do it.  They were both fun, clever people.  We took road trips, we raised chickens, we built “cars”, my dad let me drive a snowmobile all over the neighborhood—when I was nine.  We sang, we cooked, we played in the snow in the winter, and went fishing in the summer.  My parents loved being with us and we had so much fun.

4.  They were humble and kind.
5. They enjoyed learning about family history and sharing stories.
6. They were musical.
7. They read, and read, and read, and read.
8.  They believed in us, and built us up.
9.  They thought it was important to eat dinner together.
10.  They prayed with us, and for us.
11.  I felt secure and sure that they loved us, always.
12. Our house was always a “home”.

So in addition to recognizing these things and being grateful for them, they are also lessons and guidelines for me, now that I have my own family.  Of course, we are doing some things differently as we raise our children, but I recognize how lucky I am to have had such sweet and loving parents.  For whatever reason, this was on my mind today.