Reasons To Celebrate Our Parents

November is a month of celebration. Last Thursday the US celebrated its Thanksgiving Day and in Jamaica we celebrate some very special persons – Parents! I could not let this month pass and not give a God Bless shout-out to the hardest working people – our dear parents. Talk about responsibility. They have others’ lives in their hands.

I hear persons with one child say, “I am not having another one, this is just too much,” so hats off to all those parents who have two or more children. Yours is not an easy task.

One of the things my Prayer Mother always tells me is, “The first gift God gave you were your parents. He handpicked them just for you.” (Bet you never thought about it this way). So every time my parents make me upset, I remember these words.

Parents want the best for their children. And they will tell you, “The reason I work this hard is to ensure my children don’t go through what I went through.”

Believe it or not they are trained “blockers”. There are many hurts that they have blocked us from that we don’t know (and may never know).

Children, we know that we can really test our parents’ mettle and patience. Some of us “gi (endless) talking” but they put up with our tirades, tantrums, and tyrannical behaviours. They have to be peacekeepers, mediators, judge, juror and executioner.

Then there are those days they put on their counsellor/therapist hat to listen to our cares having to put their cares aside in these moments.

There are days they are our “superheroes” especially in our younger years. How many of us in our older years can remember when they “bailed us out”. (Talk Truth)

Do you recall when they held you and just let you cry? When they were there when you needed them the most. You were so sure that you couldn’t recover from this (you know what your “this” is/was). But ever the supporter and encourager they are their saying (or demonstrating), “I got you.”

Those pieces of our lives we thought could not be put back together, there is papa and mama, scraping them up, praying over them and speaking life into our pieces.

There are some parents who moved house, changed locations, for our sakes.

Who took you to every activity you needed to be? Who sacrificed their last for you?

Now that you may be a parent, how many days have they watched over your little ones for you? You know you can call on them at anytime and their response is always, “Take them over,” or “We’ll be right there.”

I told Ms. Tresha that if nobody else is cheering for me and is in my corner, my mother (Mums) and my father (Paps) are right there. We may not have had riches, but I can depend on them. They are ALWAYS there. I have many memories but this one is carved into my psyche … At one time I worked in one of the resort towns on the western end of the island. As is customary, Mums called to check in on how things are (she is gifted for this). In the conversation I mentioned I have been on my feet for an extended period of time and they were really hurting. What made matters worse, the shoe had rubbed off the back of my foot. My dears, in the late hours of the night, security called me to advise my parents were at the gate. Talk about in shock. They drove over four and a half hours (one way) to take a backless shoe and something to anoint my feet. They had to make the return trip that same night because they had work the next day. Thanks Mums & Paps, I will never ever forget. It’s these “little things” that make a huge difference. This was a million dollar move!

No matter how old we get, we are their children and they are our parents!

I am well aware that there are some children who don’t have “glowing reviews” or who can’t even relate to what I am saying. My heart goes out to you. If this is not your testimony, did the Lord perhaps place someone in your life – a foster parent, a social worker, a guardian, a neighbour, grandparents, childcare worker, aunt, uncle, even an older sibling – that played the role of a parent? Are you here today to tell your story, to help someone in a similar situation, because one of these persons “stepped in”?

Are our parents saints and without faults?! Not at all. But they are good gifts that were given to us by the Father of light (James 1:17). So, join me in giving God thanks for His gift to us – parents!

Drop a shout-out and a thank you to your parents in the Comments. Let us know one of your special memories and celebrate with you! Do SHARE this post.