My life is a busy one, and I am sure yours is too. Unfortunately, this pace of life often keeps us in a state of reacting. I constantly fight this tendency, but once in awhile something really special comes out of our immediate need to react.
I want to share with you one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. It was from my daughter, Mirabelle, who hadn’t prepared ahead for my birthday but really wanted to give me something special. Instead of a perfectly wrapped package with a purchased gift inside, I received a handwritten, scrap paper gift certificate where she pledged to paint me a picture. I didn’t know what the painting would be of and was not sure if the special delivery would ever arrive but she did follow through and painted a canvas for me that read “Family First.”
I didn’t ask her to make this or give her a big speech about the importance of togetherness, but she knew how important family time is to me, and she used this gift to show me that it’s important to her, too.
This Father’s Day, I’d like to remind us all that the gift of family is the best gift of all. Whether you are lucky enough to be someone’s father, son, uncle, or mentor; you are blessed and have the opportunity to be a blessing to someone else. Remember, it’s the little things that we can do together and the time spent that means the most—far more than a new tie or golf club or any other Father’s Day present.
It can be hard to break away from the endless barrage of an email inbox or the lure of ESPN, but I hope you’ll spend Sunday on quality time with your family, making family your first priority by putting electronics away, ignoring your texts and tweets, and focusing on the people you love the most–and maybe even make a homemade card.
What are your Father’s Day plans? I’d love to hear how you plan to put family first this year!
As a speaker and author, Curtis Zimmerman has impacted over one million people with his life-changing messages and award-winning programs. Curtis is an expert at transforming organizations by inspiring individuals to live their lives at performance level.
Want to be inspired? Check out his podcast The Next 24 Hours.
