October

How long are parents, parents?

After arriving back to Haiti we were so happy to be with Dor and Grayson under one roof. My parents were here and we just left Doug’s parents in Ohio. All I could think about is how new and different our lives are and how long we will be parents…. Which made me think about what our parents have done for us, especially this past year. Both of our parents have adult children and have been married for over 30 years, yet they still are parents and continue to make sacrifices for their adult children. In my independent little mind, I think that I should be able to live my life, make my own path, do my own thing without needing my parents. But this season of life is different. At one point, I was a babe and couldn’t stand, then couldn’t tie my own shoes, then I would rely on them to take me to practice, teach me to drive and the next thing I knew, I was married and living on my own. This season is new and I no longer need them for things I once did, now I have different obstacles and trials that they continue to help us with. I don’t have to ask, they are just always here, like a net underneath a tight rope, or an umbrella to cover us from the rain. They don’t have to, they raised us and we are adults, it’s not their responsibility anymore, but they want to, because they love us. I am thankful that our parents are who they are and how giving they are, not only to us, but to our siblings too. They are always teaching us how to be good parents by how they treat us and others. Now, as a new parent, I realize how much they put us first, just in the first year of our lives. They made our plates first, fed us first, bathed us first, bought things for us first, covered our needs first, all before themselves. Such unselfish and unconditional love. I look back and remember saying many times, “I will never say that,” or “I will never do that.” But guess what? I have become my mother….and Doug, his father. And parts of my dad and his mom also continue to shine through. I consider our parents to be amazing, faithful servants with not many faults ….. We are very protective of them, and though we may be able to pick on them, we don’t like it when others do. I think that’s how they feel about us. Always protective of their children no matter how old we get. I pray that someday our boys can think the same of us. I pray that they will see us as people they want to be. So, I pray also that each day, we can become more like our Heavenly Father, so the more we become like Him, the more our boys will become like Him. Thanks Mom and Dad Riedel and Mom and Dad Reichley for the sacrifices you have made for us this past year and throughout our lives. Also, for reminding us that parents are parents FOREVER, no matter how old our children get and not because we have to be, but, because we WANT to be. We pray blessings cover you and hope you will be proud of how we raise the boys in the Lord.