21 Days of Gratitude-Day 9 (My Living Hero)

March 20, 2014 

 Here is a letter of gratitude I wrote my father who is currently battling Parkinson's and lives in a nursing home:
Dear Dad, 

On March 12th I made a decision to embark on a 21-Day Gratitude Challenge where I would write 21 people who have influenced my life greatly and let them know why. 

I am grateful for your presence in my life for the following reasons: 

1-You have always protected both me and my brother from harm. Throughout our lifetime you have ensured with we had a safe place to live. We never had to live in a violent community and the places you chose for us to live have us the opportunity to be exposed to a diverse community. Because of this I have been able to adapt very well to many situations and it is all because of your decision to keep us safe. 

2-You have always been a father that has been involved in my life. Never once did I feel that you were absent. This was a truly a blessing since many people I know have not been fortunate to have this experience.

3-You truly help make sure I went to college. It was you that helped me do my initial finanicial aid application and this helped to ensure that I had funding to go to Kutztown University. Without this very act, I would have never gone their and my life would have been dramatically different. 

4-You always took care of mom and stuck in there when things were tough. Not once did you leave us stranded. I cannot imagine being married to someone who not only was mentally ill for much of the time you were married but also suffered numerous physical illnesses. Even in her death, you made sure that her final wishes happened by finding the organization that would allow her body to be donated to science. 

5-You taught me the value of hard work and being passionate about your work. Even the times you were laid off you still were working on trying to get back to work and continue to do what you loved. Not only did your actions teach me that discipline is necessary for all things but you taught me how to survive through tough times. 

6-Lastly, I want to thank you for handling your Parkinson's Disease like a CHAMP! Although I can see sometimes it is painful for you, you still try to be optimistic and realistic about your situation. This optimism and realism I have seen from you throughout my lifetime and has rubbed off on me. 

Dad- I just want to let you know that you are the best father a daughter could ever have! 

Love, 

Cherie 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Legacy-Do You Know What Your Imprint with Be from the Grave?

In an article entitled, "Leaving Our Legacies Mindfully", the author discusses how we should think about what our legacy will be and do so mindfully. In a culture filled with selfies, I often wonder how many of us actually care about what our imprint on the world will be when we take our last breathe.  Three things resonate with me from the article: Passion, caring, and living authentically.  When we are passionate about something, we are invested and willing to go beyond the call of duty. Feelings behind our passion are often our reward for the work that we do.  When we care about others, we say to them that their lives matters. One thing that has taken a back sheet to our selfie culture is our ability to truly care about others. This can be how we treat each other on a daily basis and most definitely how we step up in a person's time of need. From caring, grows empathy, grows compassion, and ultimately leads to real change in our lives and the lives of those we come in
Read more

Manor College's Education LibGuide-Direct Links to Tabs

Here are the direct links to specific tabs Manor college LibGuide for the Education Program. I have added the names of them to the URL to make them easier to search:  How to Find Books Creating an Annotated Bibliography Lesson Plans and Rubrics Standards Statistics Children's Literature Head Start  TEDTalks  Podcasts and Videos Cherie's Recommended Library Great Educational Articles Great Activities for Children Websites  Professionalism in the Field and in a College Classroom Professional Associations Pennsylvania Certification Clearances Classes Tab:  Manor's Early Childhood Faculty Manor Lesson Plan Format  Manor APA Formatting, Reference, and Citation Policy for Education Classes Manor College's Guide to Using EBSCO Effectively How to do a Child Case Study-Best Practice
Read more

Reflection: How We Treat Each Other?

Image
 As I reflect on the past two years, I am reminded about how we treat each other truly reflects who we are. In the past year, so much pain, disruptions, and loss have occurred but one thing should remain strong: How we treat each other in a manner that uplifts. Lately, I am wondering how this got lost for some and stronger for others. As someone once told me, how you treat someone is something they will never forget. Although we may forgive, most never forget. Because the byproduct of a bad interaction can last longer than we think. Its ripple effect can come to revisit, over and over again.  So as we move into the late quarter of the year, I do hope we up our game in the following things: Empathy,  Compassion, Communication Be Kind, and Be Presence.   
Read more