What do you buy the parents for christmas? It's always tough to buy for people with more money than you, so I wrote this for them, had it printed and framed it.
Posted on :
12-15-05 |
Thank you for teaching me that the most important thing in life is to be happy. This lesson has affected me more than I think you realize. I have made many decisions based on this mantra stuck in my head. Some have worked out, some have not, but I feel that using this philosophy has increased the quality of my life and hopefully made life a little better for those around me. Maybe it drives you both crazy sometime, as it appears I live my life day to day, but by trying each day to go to bed with a smile, I feel I am doing the right thing.
Thank you mom, for being the rock for our family for all these years. The glue that kept us all together. If I’ve never told you before how much I appreciate everything you have done for us over the years, then let me be sure to say it now. For all the meals, all the clothes, all the endless years of doing laundry… for all the years of working full time under the fear of early retirement from AT&T. You are an angel in world lacking in wings.
Thank you dad, for being the fun and engineer in the family for all these years. The unpredictable factor. We are so very alike, you and I. I think both of us will never allow that little kid in us to die, and we can both be happy in almost any situation we find ourselves in, like a kid who can find endless hours of entertainment from a rock, some dirt, and a stick. I also admire that you are an older version of MacGyver. Someone who never ceases to amaze me with how with only a paperclip, a miter saw, and a rubber band, you can fix your truck, or build a squirrel proof bird feeder.
Thank you mom, for being so gentle and understanding when I needed it. I will still never forget back in 1997, when my heart was broken one morning, the only person in the world I wanted to be with, was with you. I drove an hour in horrible rush hour traffic, just to lay my head in your lap, and have you tell me that everything will be all right.
Thank you dad, for always pushing me to be a better man. I may not have understood the lessons you were teaching me right away, but with some wisdom under my belt now, I see the value of many of them. When I was too scared to learn how to ride my bike, you may have grounded me, but it pushed me to ride that bike all over that baseball field in Will’s Park. I can still feel the elation of learning to turn, not sure how to lean my body with my limited understanding of gravity, but turning non-the less. But I think the most important lesson I remember, is when we cut my golf clubs short, but then they were too small to fit properly in the golf bag. You told me to figure out how to make it work. I tried one or two things but came up empty, and then got frustrated and asked for your help. Then you told me before I give up, that I had to try at least 10 other ideas before you would help me out. Eventually, I filled the bottom of the bag with wadded up paper balls until the club handles finally rested above the top of the bag. There is a certain tenacity in me to this day when I am presented with a problem, and I have had many more moments, some private, some public, where because I refused to give up, I finally mastered whatever problem faced me.
Thank you both, for the gifts you have given me to help me make my mark in the world. From you I have been blessed with both intelligence and creativity. I consider these to be my two greatest assets. I have always had it easier than most other people when it comes to learning new things and adapting to changing surroundings. I could go so far to say that there are times, especially running sound for A.W.P., when I can be in complete control of chaos, involved in a gigantic juggling match with unknown factors, and I find myself relishing these times, as my brain goes into some form of auto-pilot. As I have relished playing music and improvising, finding a way to blend with three or four others, when every note is from the moment. These have been some of the best times of my life. When I am surrounded by chaos and stand there without fear. Thank you for giving me the chance to experience those moments.
So for this Christmas, instead of trying to find something in a store, I thought I would write you a letter, and let you know some of the things I think about you both. But suffice to say, in the interest of brevity, I love you both, and think you are both wonderful in many ways. Of course I wish I didn’t have dad’s beer gut genes, or that my hairline genetics had come more from the Millar side than the Adam’s side, but overall, I suppose I really can’t complain. You guys are the best, and I hope you love the beach, and retirement, and I’ll try to visit more often… cause you know, you’ll be living by the beach, and well… who doesn’t like the beach? |
