There’s a Tim McGraw song out right now that pretty much sums up how I was brought up and how we try to raise our children.
“Go to church ’cause your momma says to
Visit grandpa every chance that you can
It won’t be wasted time
Always stay humble and kind
Hold the door, say please, say thank you
Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie
I know you got mountains to climb but
Always stay humble and kind
When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride but
Always stay humble and kind”
Those are just some of the lyrics.
In case you don’t know this about me, I lost my dad to cancer when I was just 19, and he was just 53. But in those 19 years that I had him in my life, he instilled a lot of values.
I remember my sister’s friend coming over and she left her car unlocked, windows down, and purse in the car. She came inside just for a moment. It was long enough however for the neighbor boys to steal her purse. My dad was home working on building our basement. He heard what happened and proceeded to walk to the neighbor boys house and retrieve the purse. Then he offered the boys a job so they could earn money instead of feeling like they had to steal. That was my dad. That’s how we were raised.
I try to be kind to all I meet. The ladies at the Wal-Mart deli counter always seem over worked and under paid. I made it my mission every week to brighten their day. So it turns out one of the ladies is a regular at Golds. She goes to the water aerobic class and she was there last Monday when I was pretty upset that I hadn’t lost any weight.
I think she could sense that I wasn’t all right and she began to tell me how she’s been coming for a year but hasn’t seen any weight change, but she does feel much better. She told me how much I inspired her and how she was going to come more often and try harder. This may sound silly, but I never really thought anyone was taking notice of me.
That Monday was a difficult day yet again the next day an older gentleman who comes most every day stopped me and asked me if I was okay because I didn’t seem happy the past two days. We talked for awhile and he was very encouraging.
It made me realize that people are watching and I want to be a better example. I just tend to wear my emotions on my face so I want to be better at manifesting the good. And I always want to be humble and kind.
Hi Patty,
I really enjoyed this. Love the story about dad and by the way, you are a great example of someone who is humble and kind. Love you