This is a letter to my friend Jim but I liked it so much I thought I would post it now that I have remembered my password. What do you think is the greatest gift your parents gave you that you are the most thankful for? My parents gave me so much, curiosity, love of knowledge, tenacity, joy, humor, but the thing I think that I am most grateful for is that they gave me Arizona. They gave me this state before it was on the fast track to becoming Los Angeles. When is was more wild than tame and filled with possibilities. When it was hard to love because there was no air conditioning, no freeways, just lonely 2 lane highways to other small towns. I learned to love the land and its creatures, to name them and know them. It has served me so well I just keep trying to give back to it, to take care of it. A sense of place it critical for me. I have lived many places, Europe, Latin America but I have always come home. The bones of my ancestors are here. They gave me everything.
Labels: Thanksgiving
posted by Anne Coe | 5:05 AM
4 Comments:
The greatest gift that my parents gave me was the example of themselves -- individually and together: my Dad for his kindness and acceptance; my Mom for her intellectual honesty and acceptance; and together for their commitment to each other. My Mom and Dad would have stood together against the world, if they'd had to. They loved their kids, their families, and their friends, but they looked only to each other for affirmation. I have said for years that, as I grow older, I'd like to see more of my Dad in me, and I'd like to see more of my Mom in me; and, if I am lucky enough to find a partner, I'd like to see a lot of both of them in that partnership. My Dad was a thoroughly contented man who loved his wife, his kids, and his friends, and they all effortlessly loved him right back. My Mom is a thoroughly satisfied woman, and I draw a distinction between contentment and satisfaction here, who loved her husband and loves her kids and friends, but who must be appreciated to be loved. She is rigorously honest, intellectually challenging, and permits no delusions, but in times of need, she is as loving and accepting as my Dad. I'd like to see more of each of them in me, and more of the two of them in a partnership, which is a gift they gave without knowing.
I think that is what parents are supposed to do. Give the best things without even knowing it.
Both of you had angel parents, but as I share parents with one of you, another thing they gave me was a love of natural history, in all its glory.
I love the contrasts in our family. One side gave us love,intellectual curiosity and discipline . The gifts of the other side were a love of life, joy, undaunted and exciting creative minds. What more could you want? Discipline and the creativity of do something with it.
I want to be more like my parents now and I remember not wanting to be like them. Funny how we all comeback to the beginning.
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