There are many great things happening on both tournaments now, but I want to mention just one. Lionel Messi, who many people agree he is the best player of the world, just surpassed the record on most goals scored with the Argentina national team. The record holder was Gabriel Batistuta ("Batigol"), a forward who played during the 90s with Argentina. As a child, I grew up watching "Batigol" play, and he kind of hero to me. The reason why Argentina is my favorite team, is because on my very first football game that I watched, Argentina beat Greece 4-0, and "Batigol" scored three goals.
When asked how he felt knowing that Messi would surpass his record, "Batigol" said that he would probably be annoyed, but that at least he can boast that a player "from another dimension" surpassed him.
Another person who I also consider a hero, is my dad. He is someone who is loving, very social, a good businessman, very supportive, and provided for the family. I am very grateful that I never had to struggle with lack of food on the table, and as well very thankful that my dad was able to support me on my education, so that I can be where I am right now. Of course, he is far from perfect, and definitely has his faults, but overall I think he is a good dad.
It's strange though, as a kid, I saw my dad as someone stronger who protects you, someone who had most of the answers to my questions, someone who would instruct me what to do, in a way someone who I feared as well. Now that I am grown up, it's different. Definitely, I still much respect my dad, but I would disagree with some of his views of life, he has grown a bit weaker physically, and sometimes I would give him advise on what to do. It's an interesting shift, and I think it is normal, as we grow older, we become more independent, and we develop a framework on how we view life, and perhaps we are more privileged in this generation to have more access to education and information.
One of the things that I do ponder is how to "honor" my father and mother. As a kid, I saw this command as pretty much obeying my parents. I can see obeying as a means of honoring, but honoring does not necessarily mean obeying. Now that I live very far, in another country, from my parents, it is difficult to have frequent interactions with them, and sometimes I feel very much disconnected with them, and it is challenging to see how "honoring your parents" looks like in my scenario.
I don't particular have a clear answer to this question, but a few things I try to do at a regular basis:
- pray for them, for their health, and that they focus on what is important
- talk to them regularly (whatsapp calls are great), and keep them updated about what you're doing (might be mundane things, but at least this help them feel that they are somehow in the loop)
- be patient with them, and listen to what they have to say, and if I disagree, respectfully make it known to them, and advise them
- ocassionaly, give them gifts (they provided for me for so long, so this is the least I could do, plus it is a way to show love)
“Honor your father and mother”- which is the first commandment with a promise - “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” - Ephesians 6:2-3
1 comment:
You reminded me of a saying I saw once that never left my memory. It says "Children grow up fast, parents grow old faster." For most of us grown children, we should treasure our time with our parents.
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