3 Things I Learned From My Parents' Examples (Episode #135)
Parents are usually the most influential people in their children's lives, for good or ill. Gratefully, the good examples my parents have set far out weigh the bad. Today I want to share with you 3 Lessons I've learned from those examples. The first is a love of books, the second is that dinner time is important and the third is their examples of charity towards others. Listen to how they showed me these things were important to them, just by the way they live their lives.
Listen below or through your favorite podcast app! Keep scrolling for detailed show notes.
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Show Notes:
3 Things My Parents Taught Me By Their Examples:
Love Books - My mom was amazing to read to us every night!! She read mostly classic literature and we came to really love those works.
When my mom was too busy, which to her great credit wasn’t very often, my dad would read. He wasn’t into reading long chapter books, so he would read something simple and fun like Go, Dog, Go or Frog and Toad. We loved hearing their voices as we drifted off to sleep.
Dinner Time is important - We had family dinner time together nearly every night of the week, except for Fridays, which was my parents’ date night. My mom cooked every night, even though she didn’t like it. We have a lot of food intolerances and allergies in my family, and she would cater to all of our needs. She showed such selfless service by never complaining about it, and eating along with us, even though often it was very limiting in what we could eat.
My Dad loves to talk and would give us lessons in politics and current events at the dinner table every night. We read the scriptures together and then would stay at the table until he was done with his topic. We learned a lot and it instilled in my a great love for my country.
We would often have dinner guests. Usually those who were single or the missionaries, or somebody that was new to the area and needed friendship. I loved sitting and listening to the adult conversations and learning about new people and their lives. It also taught me how to talk to a lot of different types of people.
Charity - My dad has always been very generous. He taught us to be good tippers and look out for those who have jobs that may not pay very much. He taught us that a generous tip can mean a lot more to someone than you would think. He also taught us to give to our church and charities that are important to us.
My mom is the queen of service. I remember on May Day (May 1st), she would get up really in the morning and head over to the local nursery and buy tons of flowers. We would go around before school (very early!!) and drop flowers off on people’s porches that needed a pick-me-up or a thank you. She often had us singing and playing the piano at rest homes and retirement centers to cheer up the lonely and sick elderly. She is always available to help others at the drop of a hat.
The lessons I have learned from my parents is endless. I hope this tiny little glimpse helps you remember some experiences you have had in your families where you have learned from the examples shown to you. I know thinking about these things has helped me to love my parents in a new and different way. I feel deep gratitude for their amazing examples.
One of our family's favorite Christmas traditions is to participate in a daily service advent for the month of December. Called #LightTheWorld. Everyday we receive a text with a simple act of service we can do. We'd love for you to join us! (You can print out the service calendar here.)
#LightTheWorld is an invitation to transform Christmas into a season of service. It’s a worldwide movement to touch hearts and change lives by doing the things Jesus did: feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, visiting the sick and afflicted, and showing kindness to everyone. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). #LightTheWorld is the perfect way to let our light—and His light—shine brightly.
I’m so excited to show you our brand new FREEBIE Resource Library!!! I keep my printables, menu plans, recipe ideas and freebies in libraries. My main library, open to anyone, is the free Resource Library. Inside you will find TONS of recipes for every occasion, meal planning & chore chart printables, holiday baking guides, and lots of helps and hacks for every family. All of these things have helped me have a helping of happiness in my family life, so I can’t wait to share them with you!!
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