One of the greatest
gifts Dad ever gave me was the gift of gratitude. Dad taught me how to be
grateful, no matter the circumstance.
It was a cool, crisp morning at the end of 2011. I had just
picked Dad up and we were headed to the office for Monday morning devotions.
The sky was blue and the sun was early-morning intense. And I was angry. Angry
that Dad’s Alzheimer’s was getting worse and our good conversations were getting fewer and fewer. Angry that we were saying the
long good bye and he didn’t realize it. How could this man, who had impacted
millions, who truly loved everyone he met, who always found a way to give just
a little bit more, how could he be required to go through this? It just didn’t
seem fair.
Dad didn’t realize it, but I was
holding back tears. At that very moment I saw a smile come across his face. He
had his Bible in his left hand, and with his right had he slapped the dashboard
of my car. “Son,” he said in his big, deep, Zig Ziglar voice, “WE have so much
to be grateful for! We live in America. We are going to devotions. We have a
beautiful family and God has blessed us with so much. Oh, what an amazing life
I have had. I could have never imagined I would have so much to be thankful
for.”
I had heard Dad go
down his gratitude list countless times. But this time I realized it was who he
was, and it was true – and the circumstances didn’t matter. That was the day I
truly understood what Dad meant when he said that your circumstances don’t
determine your attitude – you determine your attitude. Thank you for the gift
Dad. I love you and I am grateful for you and I look forward to seeing you
again in heaven.
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