Fourth of July with Mom and Dad

This past week my husband and I drove to Lake Tahoe to stay with my parents at their timeshare.  It had been a year and a half since I had seen them.  I was struck by how much my dad, now 86, has slowed down.  He now walks slowly, slightly bent over.  My dad was content to sit on the small deck and enjoy the trees.  We spent a lot of time just talking.  My mom’s goal for this trip was to see the fireworks over Lake Tahoe.  My dad was not so excited about this and kept suggesting that it might rain, much to my mom’s chagrin.  It is a half-mile from the resort to Nevada Beach, the prime spot to observe the fireworks.  My dad insisted that he would be able to walk there—I pointed out to my worried mom that we were carrying chairs so he could sit if necessary.

We joined a crowd of people walking down to the beach (the road had been blocked off earlier in the day).  My parents were by far the oldest people on that path, but they did just fine.  They walked at their own pace, hand in hand.  Bob and I walked ahead, periodically stopping and waiting.  A woman approached me and commented how sweet it was to see them holding hands and suggested that I take a picture from behind—I took her advice.

We arrived at the beach and found a great spot.  The fireworks were fantastic and my mom was happy.  My parents walked back up to the condo, once again holding hands.

My parents have been married 63 years—that’s long time.  I watch how they support each other now that they each have some health problems.  My mom watches my dad like a hawk; he mostly accepts it.  Their simple devotion to each other is touching.

The most important thing I learned from my parents is love.  It is not only their love for each other but the love for us as children.  My mom was always there for us and was more likely to express her love verbally.  My dad was not demonstrative, but we had no doubt that he’d give us the shirt off his back if necessary.  We never doubted that we were loved—we were secure in this.  They also demonstrated how to treat others with respect and took us to church where these values were reinforced.

My parents were not able to give us a lot of material things but that didn’t matter. We had something much more valuable—love.