Friday, January 19, 2007
Dear Mom and Dad:
During a recent review of my records, I have performed an accounting of my inheritance from you to date.
From Dad: One walking stick
From Mom: One Quilt
When considering these items as inheritance I have come to realize a few things. First and foremost my inheritance has been provided to me throughout my life, on going, from the day I was born and through today. You have provided me with riches beyond value. My inheritance has been greater than that seen by the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Hiltons of the world. You have provided me, and continue to provide me with valuable gifts that simply cannot be placed on a balance sheet.
This Christmas Dad carved me a walking stick. I placed it in the most central place of my home. It is ornately carved and hangs with some crude leather straps from the mantle of my fireplace. The stick is topped with the head of an eagle and within the staff is a "wood spirit." Every morning, before I start my day, I take a few moments to contemplate this truly remarkable symbol of my inheritance. A walking stick is never ever oppressive. It does not force itself on you. It is always ready when you need it. It is available to you should you choose to carry it. It can be used to support you or to help you pull yourself through the most difficult terrains of life. When things are at their worst the walking stick will always stand firm, at the ready and without judgment. It helps me to stand and more importantly it helps me to propel myself forward. This stick is you Dad, a symbol of your devotion to me, of your unconditional love. Like a sturdy walking stick, you have helped me to stand like a man. You have helped me to be committed to those I love. You have taught me persistence. You have taught me to be steady. You gave me an appreciation for simple things. You have helped me to continue to move forward even when I did not think my legs could carry me any further. As understand how the "wood spirit" was formed, you saw the sage old spirit within the wood and you refined him so that everyone could see him. You brought him into the world for the rest of us to see; as he was always within the wood . . . you refined him. Like the wood spirit, you have always seen the best in me and have worked with my substance to bring me to the world as refined and as complete as I could be. When you gave me the stick you said: "I am sorry it is not perfect but my eyes are not what they used to be." Dad, it seems to me, that your choice to make me this walking stick shows that you can see as clearly as you ever have. I appreciate the fact that through all your gifts, you will be walking with me long after I can no longer walk with you.
In my office, in the most prominent place I could find; there hangs the most beautiful assembly of old Hawaiian shirts anyone has ever seen. It has become known simply as "the quilt." Life has never been easy for me. At a turning point in my life, I lost 200 pounds. It was a struggle that has made me better in every way. When I was done, I had a bag of old Hawaiian shirts that were 5 times too big. To me they were a bag of rags, useless vestiges of a former life. Mom, you did not see it that way. In the same way that you always saw the potential in me, you saw a quilt in the rags. You fashioned those rags into a symbol of your unconditional love for me. My inheritance. You, like a quilt, have always protected me. You have never failed to keep me warm. You have always been there to show me what I can make of myself. In the same way you assembled the quilt, you have shown me how to assemble the pieces of my life into something spectacular. You have helped me see the value of me, even when I thought I was just a bag of rags. You have always believed in me. On the reverse of this quilt, you placed a full 3 XL shirt. It is a clear reminder of where I have been. You have never let me forget the importance of my past. I have struggled through every accomplishment in my life and for this I am truly thankful. It has been this struggle that has forged, in me, a steel that has been a foundation for my strength. Mom, I thank you for my inheritance. For your unwavering belief in me, for your unconditional love, for you keeping me warm, for never failing to protect me. The quilt is a representation of you to me. I am proud to have you with me every day. I am proud to show you off to all who enter my life. I thank you for an inheritance that will keep me warm and protected for the rest of my life. It is an inheritance that lets me see the best in myself and in others.
It is funny how we are all tempted to blame our parents for all our short comings. In fact I can only thank you. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay is that I wish to leave my children with as rich an inheritance, all through their lives, as you have given me.
Please consider this as an understanding that I am in receipt of your inheritance and it is more than I could have ever hoped for.
Your Son, Russ.