Father’s Day is coming up and most of us are wracking our brains to think of an original gift for Dad. Our minds check off the standard ideas: hamburgers or steak on the grill, a meal out, a tie, a T-shirt or sports jersey, more tools …
But even more than tired, stereotypical gifts, men need to know that they’re needed, and respected … even more than they need to know they’re loved.
Servicemen earn ceremony and medals. Boy scouts work their tails off to become Eagle Scouts, because they gain respect. Businessmen climb the corporate ladder to gain admiration. And dads need respect just for being husbands and parents … and we usually DO respect them … but we don’t SAY it very often. We’re more likely to send a funny card.
But it can be a tragedy if we wait to say the important things until it’s too late.
My husband was one of the fortunate ones. His father died of an unexpected heart attack. For years the two of them had been estranged, but a few years before we lost him, an important phone call took place that involved sorrow and tears and healing. When Dad passed on, the words had all been said.
It often takes some kind of tragedy for us to speak up and share what someone means to us, but really, if we’re practicing Planned Purity and guarding the door of the breath, it shouldn’t be that way. We should be saying how much we appreciate each other every day, because tomorrow isn’t promised. And most of all, we should be saying so to our family members.
A friend of mine who says he has spent “way too much time telling a body in a casket how much that person meant to him” started an effort called Honor Someone Now, and I would encourage you to take advantage of that free service for Father’s Day and for many other occasions to do just that.
Tell your dad what he’s meant to you. Tell your mom what she did that made you who you are today. Tell a teacher, a friend or a mentor that they changed your life forever.
Obviously, no one is perfect. But if you want your own heart to be honorable, choose to call out the honorable deeds in your dad and others. It won’t just change them, it will change you. The way you honor life and breath is a venue to the formation of your own heart, and as you honor, you become honorable yourself.
So for Dad’s Day this year, really surprise him. Give him the gift of respect.
Then make a list. There are a lot more honorees in your life, and a lot more than needs to happen in each of our hearts. Imagine what the world would be like if each of us honored just one person a month. Yeah. Pretty different.
Give it a try. Visit www.honorsomeonenow.com - now.
But even more than tired, stereotypical gifts, men need to know that they’re needed, and respected … even more than they need to know they’re loved.
Servicemen earn ceremony and medals. Boy scouts work their tails off to become Eagle Scouts, because they gain respect. Businessmen climb the corporate ladder to gain admiration. And dads need respect just for being husbands and parents … and we usually DO respect them … but we don’t SAY it very often. We’re more likely to send a funny card.
But it can be a tragedy if we wait to say the important things until it’s too late.
My husband was one of the fortunate ones. His father died of an unexpected heart attack. For years the two of them had been estranged, but a few years before we lost him, an important phone call took place that involved sorrow and tears and healing. When Dad passed on, the words had all been said.
It often takes some kind of tragedy for us to speak up and share what someone means to us, but really, if we’re practicing Planned Purity and guarding the door of the breath, it shouldn’t be that way. We should be saying how much we appreciate each other every day, because tomorrow isn’t promised. And most of all, we should be saying so to our family members.
A friend of mine who says he has spent “way too much time telling a body in a casket how much that person meant to him” started an effort called Honor Someone Now, and I would encourage you to take advantage of that free service for Father’s Day and for many other occasions to do just that.
Tell your dad what he’s meant to you. Tell your mom what she did that made you who you are today. Tell a teacher, a friend or a mentor that they changed your life forever.
Obviously, no one is perfect. But if you want your own heart to be honorable, choose to call out the honorable deeds in your dad and others. It won’t just change them, it will change you. The way you honor life and breath is a venue to the formation of your own heart, and as you honor, you become honorable yourself.
So for Dad’s Day this year, really surprise him. Give him the gift of respect.
Then make a list. There are a lot more honorees in your life, and a lot more than needs to happen in each of our hearts. Imagine what the world would be like if each of us honored just one person a month. Yeah. Pretty different.
Give it a try. Visit www.honorsomeonenow.com - now.
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