Inheritance!

Passing it On!

Thanksgiving is the time of year when everyone should take a moment to reflect on the riches in their lives!  In many cases,  riches are inherited.  So now is a good time to thank those who passed on their gifts to us!

At first, you think that "riches" and  "inheritance" are measured in MONEY!  But, in fact that is the least important benefit that a person can give or receive.  More important are characteristics.  Although we like to think of ourselves as unique, we often return to our family history to determine the reason for our health issues and even our actions.

Now I know that neither my mom or dad intended to pass forward issues with blood pressure, high cholesterol or digestive track problems but I can handle these characteristics better than they could because now I know what to watch for.  I have been vigilant in my attempts to change the family pattern of premature death.  I can now say that I have enjoyed more years than both my mother and father and I intend to continue, thank you very much!

The best part of getting older is reaching a time in your life where you can truly reflect on your greater inheritance.  Aside from pesky health issues what else did my parents gift me with?

Well, after pondering that thought for awhile, I have come up with the following:

I believe that my dad passed on the gift of laughter!  Although I was so young when he died, I remember my dad as a very happy man.  He seemed to find joy in many things and loved to make others laugh as well.   I understand now that he had wanted to accomplish so much more in his life but he faced so many limitations.   Still when I picture my dad, I see a happy, laughing person.  I credit my positive attitude to my dad!  No matter what, there is always a potential positive from every negative.  Finding the humor in situations eases the tension.  People say that they love my laugh!  I thank my dad for that!

My mom loved to write!  She had wanted, so much, to be an educated person and every spare minute she had was spent typing out her memories on a manual typewriter.   I still have that typewriter!  She was so proud of the fact that she had graduated from high school but I think that, if times were different, she would have continued on like I did!  Instead, she raised a family and pecked away on that old typewriter, sharing her words to no one in particular!  She would be surprised at how much her words have been read by her family over the years.  Then again, maybe she always hoped that would be the case.  Today, I do the same!  I have that same desire to share my thoughts!  The words may never be viewed by anyone in particular but there is a feeling of peace in writing them down.  Who knows, someday perhaps my kids will read them!  I thank my mom for sharing this talent with me.

There are other characteristics that I feel come directly from one parent or another.  Sometimes over the years I have heard myself sound exactly like my mom.  Other times, I wonder if my dad would be proud of the person I turned out to be.  I don't think they did anything intentional to have their children carry on their visions but somehow they modeled characteristics that have continued into my life.

So now I wonder, am I passing forward the characteristics that I want to be remembered for?  When my kids reach the age where they can take the time to reflect on their life, will they see the gifts that I tried to give them?

On this Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks to my mom and dad!  They made me the person that I am today.  And in my humble opinion, I'm a pretty good person, as it turns out!