There are moments that exist…

that we may not know about… or remember…

but once we do… we can choose what significance

they’ll have in our lives…

Two of my greatest teachers have been my parents… my biological mom and dad… Perhaps this is true because of the time… moments… minutes… hours… days… months… years… they’ve invested in my life since my birth… They’ve watched me grow holistically… and helped to guide my way toward adulthood… They’ve given me the opportunity to witness what it means to be a human being… More importantly, they’ve given me an opportunity to observe and discover what kind of human being I want and choose to be… This, I believe, is one of our greatest teachings as individuals… learning and exhibiting how to be a human being…

Not long ago… I was sitting on a park bench with my dad in the town he was born and raised in… We were spending part of our day together… having mostly light conversation… Between our small talks… during our quiet moments… I was given the chance to witness the utterances of my dad’s heart and mind… I knew my dad loved being outdoors… he loved nature… he cherished the earth… What I didn’t always know is the amount of reverence my dad has for even the tiniest creatures in our world… I may have found this out during the moments my dad serenely watched an ant making its way up his leg… or maybe it was when I brushed the ant off of him… My dad… patiently… let me know he wished I had not done so… I didn’t feel that my dad was disappointed in me… yet, I felt I was being reminded by him of the significance of this experience for him… It was a tender experience for my dad… who had clearly established a friendly rapport with his small friend… It too could have been a more significant and tender moment for me… a time for me to simply be… allowing for my dad and the ant to do the same… It was also a time to know again… that life really does respect and love us… life respects and loves me… How do I know… because of the gentle ways life shows me…

Respect and love… This experience with my dad was giving me the opportunity to show once again my appreciation for life… and not just my own… It isn’t that there was ever a time when I didn’t respect and love life… including an ant’s… My dad just wanted to keep me here… and it didn’t matter that he was doing so consciously or otherwise… Thank you, dad…

After dad and I left the park… we drove a short ways down the street to a corner bakery… We were still celebrating my recent birthday, so he treated me to a yummy slice of chocolate cake… When we were back in the car we shared my slice of birthday cake and continued to make small conversation…. Once done enjoying our cake… dad and I visited the area where he grew up… while there we further discussed his childhood… possible future plans and more… This day together with my father… along with so many others… remain a treasure for me…. a gift… The more I learn about my parents’ lives… the more beautiful they become to me… I am grateful for their teachings… I am grateful for their lives… I am grateful for my own life… and the life of the small ant who chose to friend my father… even if only briefly… while we sat together on the park bench in the town he grew up…

This month… May… is my birthday month… It is always a special time for me… Treasurable moments shared with those who I deeply adore are some of the greatest gifts that will continually live with me… BIG SMILE…

Images photographed, created and/or designed by Partners In Goodwill: Publications & Media… partnersingoodwill.com …

We have the capacity and potential to always be a blessing in our own lives, in the lives of others and in this magical and magnificent world of ours…

biashedo™ ~ My Universe Is Friendly… Inside and Out… And So Is Yours… The Macro… and The Micro… Grace… Love… Prosperity… Always sending forth light and love… :o)

Learn more about biashedo™ at windinc.org… Select the link for the Healthy Lives Campaign in the main menu… I have also written a more detailed blog on biashedo™ posted on January 6, 2016… Check it out too… danarondel.com …