our daughter spent the past several days with us. her stay reminded us of the wonderful person she has grown to be. she is thoughtful, always ready to help us in whatever way she can. her sense of humor has lightened our days. her visit has filled us with joy. on her final day with us, she gave her mother a gift that we had spotted in a gift shop that we visited together. because the item she gave my wife was a little pricey, my wife wouldn't buy it, so my wife was thrilled when she opened the box our daughter handed her and saw the lovely gift. this parting gift reminded us of what a sensitive person our daughter is.
as i reflect back on her visit, i wonder what we did as she was growing up that helped her become such a loving person. i wish that we could take credit for her kindness and compassion, but i know that many factors combined to make her who she is. as a small child, she was very obedient. she only had to be told "no" once to stop her from doing something we disapproved of. she was a happy child and easy to manage. in her teenage years, though, she was rebellious. we wondered if she would make it to adulthood. she was determined to have things her own way, and we struggled to understand what drove her to be the way she was.
by the time she had made it through her first two years of college, during which she lived a couple of hours away from us, she had matured into an adult with whom we could reason and come to terms. seeing that it was a struggle for her to pay her living expenses in the college she had insisted on attending, which had no dormitories and where she had no financial aid of any kind, she decided to return home to complete her degree. after she graduated from high school, we had tried to talk her into attending other schools where scholarships would have been available to her and where we could have paid all the cost of her education but she refused to listen to us, determined to attend the more expensive college, where our limited resources could only pay for her tuition and books and where she would have to work to pay the rest of her living expenses. after she moved back home, she easily completed her studies and worked part-time to earn spending money. her teenage rebellion over, she went to work as a teacher, fell in love with a young man, and married.
she and her husband struggled financially. he had only a part-time job which he held onto in the hopes that it would lead to a more lucrative full-time job with the same company. she worked a second job and, within a couple of years, they were able to buy a small home. marital difficulties arose, and her husband left to take a job in a large metropolitan area about two hours away. our daughter considered divorce, but she was determined to make the marriage work. they reconciled, and she moved to be with her husband. after working at a clerical job for a year, she went back to work as a teacher. they continued to work on their marriage, and, with our help, they were able to buy a nice home in a quiet neighborhood.
as the years have gone by, they discovered how much they cared for one another and now are very happy together. she is looking forward to early retirement from her teaching job at the end of the next school year, because teaching has become very stressful. her husband has a non-teaching job with another school district that allows him the same holidays that she has. we delight in the joy they have found with one another. her kindness and compassion have helped her husband become a more caring, attentive person, so their marriage is one that brings both of them much joy.
i suppose nothing could be more satisfying than to see your child become a wonderful adult who is happy and who shares her happiness with others. may she and her husband continue to grow in love for each other. may all of us find the companionship with another human that completes us. may we grow in lovingkindness and compassion each day and may we share those blessings with others. shalom.
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