Thursday, December 11, 2008

Eye of the Beholder


Last night was one of the best nights of my life:
1. My oldest daughter called me for my advice and help. Because of her age and independence, she rarely does that anymore. I enjoyed being needed.
2. I was informed that I was getting a new car. That’s exciting because I was getting tired of the one we had.
3. I was able to spend the entire night with my daughter (we told stories and laughed a lot).
4. I was able to spend some time with my wife and kids in a quiet environment and this rarely happens on a school night.
5. My daughter is a healthy, happy and a beautiful person. She is full of life

Last night was one of the worst nights of my life:
1. After a long day at work my daughter called me to inform me that she had crashed the car and needed me to go get her. “I just got home!”
2. When I got there, the car was totaled. “I just paid that car off!”
3. From there it was straight to the emergency room, to wait all night to be seen. "3 hours!"
4. My wife and kids were driving me crazy.
5. It turns out this whole thing is going to end up costing me thousands!

Yes, this is a true story. I took the first of the two paths. Last night turned out to be a great night for me and worth every penny. I am glad that my daughter was able to learn a valuable lesson, at such a small price. I was in good spirits throughout the night. Before going to bed, I thanked God for taking care of her and I slept like a baby. In the past, I would have chosen the second path and my week would have been miserable. I would have spun out of control taking every one around me with me. I would have made mental list of all the reasons why this was bad and unfair.

Life is in the eye of the beholder. Make sure when you look at it, you behold it’s gifts.


I love you Elle and your worth all the Expeditions on the planet.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The thing that I remember the most from that day is when you came up to me and the first words out of your mouth were "I didn't like that car anyway." That's the best thing you could have ever said to me. You're the best dad in the world I LOVE YOU <3
LOVE,
your first born
Elle