Tom

living out life
2012-01-04 09:37:24 (UTC)

Trekkie

I loved the original Star Trek series. When Star Trek: The Next Generation started its run on television, I made sure to watch every episode. I was watching one night when my daughter (who was five at the time) asked me to play with her. I tried to brush her off, but she kept asking me even after I said no. Finally, I lashed out and told her to leave me alone so I could watch my program. I still remember the rejected, sad look on her face as she slowly turned and walked away. That was all it took. I turned off the television and asked her what she wanted to play.


To this day, I have never watched another Star Trek episode. Not that I think it’s bad, it’s just that my priorities shifted with that single event. I realized that it is much more important to spend time with my children than to watch a television show. They aren't going to be with us forever. That has become a stark reality now that my daughter has been married four years and lives four hours away. I never want to hear my children say that I was too busy to spend time with them.

I know there are times when it can’t be avoided, but many times, we put our own selfish desires first and our kids suffer for it. I heard the story once of a man whose passion was his yard. His grass was always perfectly manicured and every bush was trimmed to perfection. One day, while he was admiring his handiwork, he overheard one of his children say, “He spends more time with the yard than he does with me.

What about you? What are you growing and cultivating? When your kids grow up and look back, will they remember you as being an active part of their life, or will they just remember you as a bystander? Spend some time with them today. Before you know it, they will be gone. Take it from a man who knows.




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