When I won my Parents

It doesn't matter if we were planned or not. Our parents had us but we won them.

Photo by Natalya Zaritskaya on Unsplash

That seemed to be more of a simple school task for an eight-year-old girl. The handout had problems to be solved and several questions on different subjects.

However, on the last page there was this task: "Make a drawing that represents a remarkable fact of your life."

The young girl drew a woman with a baby in her arms and, beside her, a man, both smiling. Above the scene written in a neat handwriting was: "When I won my parents."

How to contain the tears before such a simple declaration of love?

The girl remembered, with affection, that she had arrived at that loving home, just over eight years ago, through the blessed way of adoption. It was one of the first moments when the little heart thanked God for the opportunity to have a loving family on Earth.

Other children remembered trips, Christmas gifts and trips. Nothing close to how she thanked her parents:

When I won my parents, I also gained the certainty of being loved

When I won my parents, I was flooded with willpower, the desire to get it right and to love too.

When I won my parents, I decided to give love one more chance, and then another, and then another ...

When I won my parents, that's when I really felt protected ...

Be Grateful

Do you remember when you won your parents?

Yes, they are the greatest gift we receive when we are born. We may not yet understand this well, but time and memories will help us understand how everything makes sense.

We all won our parents. And they are not just any parents chosen by the force of randomness, they are the parents we needed, when we needed them.

Let us be grateful for having parents, for our life, for our family, for the love that was given to us, for living a respectful life, for learning so much from their examples. Gratitude is good for everyone. It is good for those who carry it in their hearts. It is good for those who receive it as unexpected fragrant flowers that fall on their hands and make life happier. 

Final Thoughts

Why wait to say thanks? Why wait for that special occasion to acknowledge and express our gratitude to our parents? Why are we so embarrassed to say: "you are important to me, I love you very much!" 

Why be ashamed to love and to say thank you?

Thank your parents while there is time. Thank them still today.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on August 13, 2016.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Courage

The moment we live is of great challenges. Do we have courage to bear all the challenges we face? 

Photo by Oliver Cole on Unsplash

The moment we now live on Earth is of great challenges, requiring a lot of courage, to behave according to the Divine Laws.

Courage to maintain honesty when almost everything around us conspires against the right attitudes.

Courage not to strike back at the blows of insanity, maintaining understanding and praying the blessings of heaven for your unbalanced brother.

Courage not to deviate from humility and integrity when, with power in our hands, we do not allow pride and selfishness to take over.

Courage to cultivate moderation and patience when we realize that the difficulties are getting worse.

Courage to maintain patience, even if your heart is beaten by the onslaught of cruel feelings that reach us.

Courage to preserve in serenity when the storms of discord and disagreements roar, threatening to bring us down.

Moral Courage

When we carry the Gospel of Jesus in our hearts, we know that it is not by running away from obstacles that we overcome them, but by facing them with calm, serenity and confidence. We understand that the first virtue of those who trust God is moral courage.

Courage that is necessary to achieve self-discipline to remain in balance in the face of attacks of less noble feelings and attitudes.

Courage that helps bearing difficulties with serenity, making the necessary efforts to overcome them.

Courage to persevere in the face of difficulties, without allowing ourselves to give up.

Our journey, in this life, reserves us many paths to travel, but the peace and happiness that we long for, will only be built with inner courage. And it is this courage that will determine when and how we will achieve our inner improvement, which will be reflected in our individual fulfillment.

The greater the achievement, the calmer our attitudes will be, helping us continue our personal journey.

Final Thoughts

Faced with the most embarrassing situations of his material life, Jesus endured all the injuries, all the humiliations that were inflicted on him, maintaining the purity of the high ideal for which he endeavored to the extreme sacrifice.

Let us have the courage to act like Him, maintaining serenity and moving on.

Let us have compassion of those who have lost their faith and stumbled upon violence.

Let us look at those who despaired and were lost in the revolt.

Let us keep in mind that true courage arises from resilience and calm in times of challenge, suffering and imbalance.

Let us protect ourselves in good. When we are about to utter any thoughtless phrase or take the least action against others, let us pray and be silent because heaven hears us. God will always sustain us in our good efforts.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 07, 2018.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem