Recently I was spending time with my youngest son, the subject of my father came up in our conversation. My father was one of those people that is "bigger than life", he was the nucleus of our family and a man everyone in the area knew and loved.
As a child I saw my father as a very volatile person, sometimes he might laugh about a situation and the next day be angry about it. He was a man that was determined to raise his children to be successful in all things and in so doing he required "excellence".
As a child facing the requirement of excellence, the goal can appear out of reach, thus making yourself appear as a failure and the person requiring excellence appear as a tyrant.
As I was explaining the situation and the person of my father to my son I was given a visual to explain how I see my father differently now. But at the same time, this visual is an important example of how we are distracted when we are less mature and as we grow we should be able to see differently.
The example was of a dandelion seed. As a child we see the fluff of the seed that carries it in the breeze, I used to pick the fluff balls of the dandelions and blow the seeds into the air watching them fly away! But in actuality, the important part of the picture is the seed that is attached at the bottom. The seed is the whole point of fluff that carries it away in the wind!
Now that I have gained maturity I am able to see that my father was a very great, loving father, even within his strict, demanding ways. He was strict to protect his family from the things of the world that they were too immature to understand, he was demanding because he knew that life is demanding and to survive and thrive we would need to be prepared. He was equipping us for the world that he knew we would face.
When I was a child I saw the fluff of the demands that were placed on me, now as an adult, I see the seed that he was protecting and nurturing. He was a great man and father that cared for his family as few now do.
Thank you Dad! Well done!
