Garlands to Grace
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the times I’ve been told how great my parents are. And every time I hear it, I smile and nod in agreement… and think to myself, “You only know the half of it.” None of these people have had the privilege of being my parents’ daughter, at least not to the extent that I did and do. I have learned a lot from my parents. Some things they taught me intentionally, some I learned simply by growing up in our home. My parents, through the eyes of what they passed down to me: My dad taught me many practical things: how to exchange electrical switches, drive a car, change a tire, check the oil, fix a bike wheel, build a fire. From my dad I learned how to stain and varnish wood, through the countless pieces of furniture he made that were my training ground. I ...