{Giveaway is Closed}
Winner is #91: Anash
Sharing time with my family, especially my parents, at this time of my life is certainly sweet. I don’t take them for granted anymore and know that time is limited with them. The days will go by quickly, and the older I get and they get, I know I have to savor the moments when they come.
Paying tribute and honoring my parents is very important to me at this time of my life. I don’t plan to move very far from them at all, if I can help it, when I find another home of my own one day soon. We are bonded and we need each other.
Family is forever. I couldn’t have made it this past year without them. 
My mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day are both in May, and Father’s Day and my dad’s birthday come around in June and July. Sharing family time with them is special. My mom and I have breakfast together every morning at the table, eating cereal and sipping coffee, each reading the paper, knowing the other is there. It’s very comforting. 
My dad and I have enjoyable conversations about blogging and life. He is still my defender, my strong and capable dad, whom I’ve always looked up to.
Celebrating them and the time I have with them is very important to me right now, and I’m doing just that.
It makes me happy to see my mom smile from the bedroom and bathroom renovations we’ve been able to do these last few weeks. I’m overjoyed to do this for them, and it makes me happy that they are sharing in benefits and perks that come along. I enjoy spending time with them, getting their opinions, hearing wisdom shared day by day. So, how do we share and celebrate those people in our lives who are so important to us?
We savor and enjoy the everyday moments of life, letting them know how important they are to us.
How do you pay tribute to the people you love? Leave me a comment answering that question to be entered for a chance to win a $100 Starbucks card, courtesy of BlogHer.
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Since I live about 2000 miles away from my parents, I make sure that I phone them at least once or twice a week, without fail!
What a beautiful tribute to your Mom and Dad… So inspiring! I lost my Mom almost 13 years ago; my Dad died when I was 6, that was almost 50 years ago. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my Mom, because I knew her so well and how I miss her, now more than ever, as I get older. Thoughts of my Dad are harder to muster up, because I was so young and I don’t have many memories of him, but I do try to imagine the man he was, based on what my Mom told me about him. When ever I see birds, it’s funny, but i think of them both, flitting around the universe enjoying their time together after being separated for over 37 years. Seeing birds is a daily occurance her ein south Florida, so it is easy. All you girls who have your parents: treasure them and pick up that phone. It is a little harder now without the phone, but the thoughts are there, just the same. I researched my parents’ family histories and created a book to honor their life and that makes the loss of them not so hard. Thanks for making me stop today and honor their existence and presence in my lif still…It is a life lesson I try to extend to all my loved ones. We tend to ‘romaticize’ about how wonderful life WAS now that some of them are gone, but the truth is, once they are gone, you wish you had even the boring blah blah blah life that you had with them before they left. Life is truly too short to sweat the small stuff, and it is all small stuff…
Hi Rhoda,
Ever since I can remember, I tried to honor my parents in such a way that they would be proud of the choices I made in my life. I also never wanted to live with regrets or should haves after they were gone. My dear father passed away 3 yrs ago on the 25th of this month. He was in his 96th year when he went to be with the Lord. After his passing, I thanked the good Lord for blessing and allowing me to have him in my life for as long as I did. He will forever live in my heart until I meet him again someday. One of the last things I spoke to my dad before he left this world was to tell him it was time to go now and see his parents and siblings who he hadn’t seen for such a long time.
My dear mother turns 86 this July and is my mentor. I have always said that if I could be half the mother to my daughter that my mother was to me, then I would know I did a good job. All this is not without saying that we had our differences over the years or that I may have been their most stubborn child but in my heart, I know I made them proud as a daughter. My philosophy in life is to put your heart into everything you do and know that you gave it your best. This is what I try to live on a daily basis.
No need to enter me in the contest as I’m a Cdn. resident; I simply wanted to share my thoughts on the topic. Thanks for giving me the opportunity.
I am an only child, with 2 children that are spoiled rotten by their grandparents!!!! We live right across the street from them, which is wonderful. They have done so much to help me, and I am so thankful that we are such a close family. They are constantly sending us fresh eggs, delicious Paula Deen brownies, or mom’s famous meatloaf!!! They have bought both of my children 2 cars each, and continue to give daily. They want to see the grandchildren enjoy things while they are still alive 🙂 I feel so lucky to have them, and feel blessed daily by their presence in our lives.
I pay tribute to the people I love by telling them so. Let them know you appreciate them and love them, and mean what you say.
Amy [at] utry [dot] it
I tweeted about this giveaway:https://twitter.com/#!/uTry_it/status/180755400373714946
Amy [at] utry [dot] it
You are so blessed to have both of your parents! My mom passed away and I am finally at an age with a family of my own where I realize how much she did for our family and how much she loved us. I wish I could tell her how much I appreciate the mother she was to us! With my own children, we speak the words “I love you ” often and I bring my husband coffee every morning in bed. It’s the little practical things that mean the most to me. Thanks for your post. It is so, so sweet…
I do so by sending them cards when it’s unexpected!
https://twitter.com/#!/egood33/status/180784715144507392
Since we’re a military family being close to our family is something we have had to deal with, but we try to make sure they know how much we miss them and call often, send lots of cards for special occasions and “just because” to let them know we’re thinking of them. Thankfully a lot of our families use the internet and we’re also able to do little things across the e-world to let them know we care as well.
I try to spend as much time with my Mom doing things we both love such as: shopping for bargains at Ross, etc, shopping for antiques and cooking. My Dad passed away in 1999 so I learned that everyday needs to be special with those that you love.
Have a fabulous day!
Julie
I love it that you honored your parents in this post. I see many older folks being ignored and forgotten. I try my best to honor older people by showing them good, old fashioned respect and acknowledging their talents, opinions, wisdom and life experience.
I loved this post about your parents. Good parents are such a special gift and such a comfort to us, their children. I try to honor those I love by helping them out when I can. I also try to stay in touch no matter how busy life gets, even if it is a quick phone call or note. Thanks for giveaway and love your blog!!
I pay tribute to my mother and my dad who past some years back by showing them i love them and spending time with them best i could.
purple_lover_04 at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/purplelover04/status/180905639437021184
Rhoda:
What a beautiful tribute to your Father and Mother. They truly are wonderful, Godly People. You are so wise to spend every moment that you can with them. I wish that I could go back to do more for my parents. I miss them so much every day. I am so greatful to God for my wonderful Daddy and Mamma, and for the precious memories of them.
Now that my parents are retired and I’m a stay-at-home Mom, we talk a lot more often by phone. I also went to visit them by myself (no husband, kids, extended family) and the three of us enjoyed our time together. My parents don’t like to travel anymore but they enjoy their new house and they spend a lot of time working in the yard. My parents often say that they’re happy knowing that I am happy and have a wonderful family.
I like to treat my family members and friends to a special dinner!
tweet https://twitter.com/#!/annedoggett/status/181011382412652546
I honor and celebrate my families accomplishments by using the special red plate that says “you are special today”. I serve favorite meals to that person on the plate and we write on the bottom what we are celebrating and the date so we can look back.