Three weeks ago, at our friends wedding we (B and I) spent sometime with a great young man from South Africa that was in town for the wedding. John D is the most incredible kid in the whole world. (I hope we can be the parents that Ken and Jo have been to their kids and have MC and Little R turn out like theirs.) B spent a ton of time talking to him about hunting and everything under the sun. John D was so animated, respectful and endearing I found myself choosing to talk to him over some of the adults (he is that amazing). I thought to myself several times, this is the type of boy I want MC and Little R to fall in love with, then on second thought I remembered he lived in Africa and that I could not have my girls that far away!
I spent several days after the wedding thinking about how great this kid was and how being a great parent really shapes your kids from the very beginning. What was Ken and Jo's secret, after some major thinking I came up with my own conclusion (Jo if you are reading this, I hope you take this as the greatest complement in the world). My conclusion was simple the value of family is so strong in South African families. You spend quality time with your family, you teach them and lead them by example. When they ask questions you answer them.
In America we have gotten so self-consumed with the gluttony of our society that the value of family has suffered greatly in my opinion. We want to raise great responsible kids, but how many of us actually eat and pray as a family? Do we take the time to answer questions? Do we teach our children by our example or do we think that is it is someone else's job?
Okay here is the point were I am going to tie all this together I promise. The Ball's run the family farm together with love for each other and God. They spend more time enjoying the pleasures of life than the new video game or trying to keep up with the Jones' next door. This time together is one of the main reasons B and I made the move to Huger. It was just spending the time with John D that reminded me of my focus as a mom and a wife. reminded me the importance of what we teach our kids and how we do. I am excited that MC and Little R will learn how to plant and harvest a garden, kick a ball in the yard, ride the golf cart to go see the neighbor's horses and most of all spend quality time together as a family.
On my way to work this week I saw these billboards and I this sums it all up, I just want to instill in the kids the importance of getting unplugged...
Here is to the family that keeps us laughing, loving and living!
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