Inspiration

I have had a bit of writers' block lately.  I think it’s mostly because I’ve been too busy to clean.  That’s almost always when I have “aha!” moments.  For me, there’s just something about cleaning that gets my creative juices flowing.

I think it started when I was a kid.  My parents made my two brothers, my sister and me do the dishes after dinner.  We would pretend that we were working for the evil queen and king.  (Sorry Mom and Dad, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.)  We knew that if we didn’t scrub the dishes spotless we would be sent to the dungeon.

Another of our favorite games was to pretend that we were orphans.  (I think this stemmed from a love of The Boxcar Children books.)  We would go to the park down the street and build forts in the woods so we could live without our parents who had tragically died.

Fortunately for me (and I’m pretty sure my siblings would agree), our parents were neither the evil king and queen nor did they succumb to some tragic demise at an early age.  Instead, they were and still are a fantastic example of Christian love.

My parents modeled for me and my siblings what it means to be a Christian spouse.  I know they fought.  And, from my perspective, it’s good I know they fought.  That way I learned how to “fight fair” with my spouse (not that we EVER disagree!).  But the fighting is not the dominant memory I have of my parents.  I remember my Dad reaching across in the van to hold my Mom’s hand while we were driving places.  I remember my Mom waking up early and staying up late to clean the house so we could entertain my Dad’s friends.  And I remember seeing them read the Bible together at night before bed.

They also showed me how to be a Christian parent.  They made sure we were all brought up know who Jesus is and how much He loves us.  They sacrificed so we could attend Lutheran elementary and high schools.  And they disciplined us when we needed it.

And they continue to display a life of Christian love.  They are both teachers—one at a Lutheran elementary school and the other at Lutheran high school—and they dedicate their time to helping their students thrive.  They still help their kids, too, by being as involved with their grandchildren as they can be.  In fact, this morning, my parents took advantage of a snow day to Skype with me and my three kiddos.

I am thankful for the wonderful example my parents have set for me.  I pray that their inspiration will help me be an inspiration to my children, too (even if they think I’m a wicked queen for a while!).