Dear parents...

Just so you know I am not a day late on my Mothers Day thoughts.  I called my mom yesterday and got my gift to her in the mail and what not, but it wasn't until this morning that I had a little epiphany of 'mothers'...maybe just parents in general.

I truly believe no one can appreciate their parents to the full extent until they are out of the house and living in the real world and dealing with other people; bosses, co-workers, friends, husbands, families, other church goers, random people at Wal-Mart, people in cars next to you on the freeway...  (To be honest I am sure we never appreciate our parents enough in this life, but to the extent that we are able to now, I don't think we appreciate them enough until we have experienced real life for a little while) 

That being said, I wanted to take this time to publicly (if you count my small handful of blog readers as 'public') thank my parents for a few key values they taught me.  Values, as I have come to learn over the past few years, not everyone was taught or if they were taught they didn't esteem them to be important enough to hold on to!  I assure you, these lessons are vital to being a decent person, a person that other people enjoy being around and a person that can function well in society.

I am thankful I was taught the value of work.  I got to go to work with my dad every once in a while when I was pretty young and Iwould like to think I started learning the importance of this way back then.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to work at my moms store.  I know that was part of the reason she bought it, so that her kids could have a place to work (at least that's what I've heard her say).  I know I have hated it there at times and been really rude about it, but again, I am so glad that I learned you have to work to get the things you need, that we are entitled to nothing.  Even if it's not working for money, doing things around the house and helping out was just what you had to do.

I am thankful that my parents instilled in me the the importance of the Gospel.  The things I have learned in my life and the blessings I have received because of my relationship with my Heavenly Father are beyond measure.  I am thankful they taught me to stand up for what I believe in and for what I knew to be true, no matter where I was or who I was with or how 'uncool' it may of seemed.  I am in no way saying you have to be 'a Morman' in order to be "a decent person, a person that other people enjoy being around and a person that can function well in society", like I mentioned above.  But I do think you have to stand for something.  You have to believe in something and be willing to take a stand for it and defend it no matter what comes along. 

I am thankful I learned the lesson of cleanliness.  Was my room always clean and tidy and never messy?  NO, but I was required to clean in once a week or so and not let it get out of control.  I am thankful I learned the importance of being physically clean and to shower and take care of my body.  I am glad, only in retrospect of course, that I had chores around the house and I was expected to do my part.  When my parents told me to clean the bathroom, it wasn't the beginning of World War 3 because it was my bathroom, and my chore, and chores were something kids had to do!  This lesson has been invaluable as I have lived with roommates and friends, and I am thankful that I was (hopefully) the kind of roommate that people enjoyed living with!

Probably the most important thing I am most thankful for is that my parents taught me to be respectful to others.  To be a nice person.  Not someone who is selfish, entitled, and disrespectful to everyone around them!  I am thankful I was taught to say please, thank you, excuse me, I'm sorry.  I was taught to look around and see who could use a hand or some help or just a smile!   Instead of just walking around life with blinders on only caring about what effects you directly, without any regard for others.  What a horrible thing it must be, to go through life being a selfish, rude, hypocritical person and never getting to know what it's like to have people truly like you and want to be around you.   I wrote a blog a while back about people who you run across once in your life, and the lasting impression that they can leave, whether it be negative or positive.  I am thankful my parents taught me the importance of making sure that I leave a positive experience for everyone that I come in contact with! 

I hope this hasn't come off as prideful or that I am saying that I am better than everyone else.  If it makes anyone feel better I could write an eternally long blog about the life lessons my parents tried to teach me that I HAVEN'T appreciated and held on to!  My faults for sure outweigh my strengths, but I guess that is what this life is all about.  Making mistakes, acknowledging that we are wrong, and correcting the behavior.  I just hope that I can pass on these lessons to my children, step and not step children, and that they will be able to turn around and help make this world just that much better of a place to be for the people they get to live with, deal with, work with, and come in contact with!