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children, Dad, death, Diana Schwenk, family, foundation, gift, good character, grief, growing up, History, Hump Day Chronicles, lessons, life, Life's like that, love, memories, Mom, parenting, safe, Stuff my parents used to say and do, values
My parents in 1960 and the ring with the blue stone
When you want to build something, you start with a good foundation. When you want to understand something, you start with the fundamental pillars of the subject. In other words, you learn the history, the mechanics of it, the whys and whats and wheres.
In the same way, when you feel lost, it helps to go back to where you began so you can remember where you came from, what you have learned about this business of living, what you truly long for in life, and how you can get it and how you can share your gifts with the world. Sometimes you grab onto a symbol of the past and carry it with you like a talisman that you can look at, or touch when you need to be grounded.
Since Dad passed away, I’ve been in kind of a fog. I got the basics covered, you know… I wake up, brush my teeth, shower, dress, exercise, go to work, eat, go to bed and start it all over again the next day.
But I’ve lost a bit of my oomph.
A bit of my zest for life.
Dad was always my rock.
He had this way of making me feel secure and letting me know that he was there for me, no matter what.
My Plan B, if Plan A should fail.
Although I rarely resorted to Plan B, I knew I could if I had to, I knew it was there if I needed it.
This past New Year’s Eve, as I was deciding which piece of jewelry to wear for an event I was attending, I came across the ring with the blue stone. The ring that cost forty dollars in 1960 and took Dad several weeks of saving so he could buy it for Mom to celebrate their first anniversary.
Dad was so upset when Mom gave me that ring almost thirty years later. But I’m so glad she did, so I could find it on the last day of 2016 and slip it on my finger. And with the wearing of it, remember the values he taught me and the traits he exemplified; like a good work ethic, empathy, diplomacy, loyalty and strength of character.
What a gift!
What a great foundation from which to find my way again!
~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
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