This week was such a wonderful show of accomplishment. It happens to be the week of the local school graduations. The children in the neighborhood have now finished the school year and are looking forward to the next coming adventures of summer and the coming school year.
The summer has officially started. All the children are out and about enjoying the awesome weather. There are growing plants in the garden. Bikes riding down the hills and through the neighborhood. Children swimming in the pools. Some are even swinging from tree to tree. Enjoying every minute of the adventures!
However they didn’t just get there without significant effort. There has been a whole school year they have had to accomplish. And some have even gone years with hard effort to reach the accomplishments they have achieved. I had a very special moment with my cousins oldest, who is at the age where he graduated from high school. He had the blessed opportunity to have his parents step him through school at home.
I look up to my cousin for attempting to even do home school. But it is very obvious that he had to work really hard for his accomplishment. He graduated high school, earned his eagle scout award, taught himself to play the piano, is a very accomplished photographer, really talented artist, and now is preparing to serve a mission as well.
These are all very great accomplishments and all should be highly celebrated. There was however a greater accomplishment that I feel is more important than all the others.
All the people that know him were very proud of him, and rightly so, but his parents were by far the most proud of him. He worked so hard through his growing up years. He has been such a great service to those around him. Being the one his mom and dad could count on to babysit, help out around the house, and most importantly he does everything he can to honor his parents.
The respect his parents had for him was so great! I was honored to be able to witness the love they have for him. I hope that I can live my life in a way that my children will do the same.
I think this is the great lesson we should take from this time of year. As our children or the people around us graduate, or move on in life we need to recognize and take a step back and see the amazing people they are.
There is so much success around us. We need to always take a step back and recognize the great efforts others do to accomplish what they want. A great book that can help you see this is “How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People” by Les Giblin. Les Giblin talks about accepting people where they are, appreciating the things that they live for, and approving the specific things that are positive. These three things can and are magical in the lives of those around us.
Keep looking for ways to find the positive in the world!
