“Good, Better, …
“Good, Better, Best, better never rest till your good is Better and your Better is Best.” Peekaboo Street
In a world where handouts are expected and work is a four letter word, Peekaboo Street’s motto is a good one to share!
What has brought apathy and laziness to a world and more importantly a country that was once build on “if you work hard you can make your dreams come true”? My belief is that the biggest contributing factor is the break up of the American family. A family that was built by a two parent home, where the goal was not to get your kids to like you but to raise them up in a way that brought them strength, courage, tenacity, and desire, a desire so strong that you went after what you wanted rather than waited for someone to bring it to you! That kind of parenting is tough and it often hurts the heart of the parent far more than it does the heart of the child. My mother always said ” Love your children enough to let them hate you.” Passive parenting is the norm these days. People are so tired and broken due to divorce and the struggles that follow that to parent with a strong hand yet loving arms seems an impossible task. Today parents have to contend with feelings of “If I upset my kid by making him/her live by rules and boundaries he/she will choose not to come be with me on my visitation days.” The wounds run so deep that many of us don’t even know they are there, but they are effecting us and worst of all they are effecting our children and the generations to come. Can we reverse this cycle or is it too late? Personally I believe we can, but only one family at a time. This is why I have such a passion for the Equine Assisted Therapy that I do. The horses live in the moment, they seek boundaries and they seek to push the boundaries UNTIL someone “steps up” and “Leads” them giving them security through boundaries, trust and ultimately healthy relationship. For more on this work please visit my website at http://www.equinereflectionsllc.com and the EAGALA website at http://www.eagala.org. Below I share with you a poem I wrote to my dad for his 70th birthday. By my parents loving me enough to let me “think” that I hated them I later learned how much I truly loved them. God bless you and let’s work “one family at a time” to restore strength, courage, tenacity, and desire to our children and ultimately “OUR COUNTRY”! Also, please visit http://familytiesgainesville.org for more information on helping “families in crisis”.
Daddy – Father – Friend
When I was born your face I saw
Not knowing you would always be there when I took a fall
With your arms around me
I would be ok no matter where life found me
You showed me love and care
Even though many times I thought you unfair
You held my feet to the fire
So as to teach me to always reach higher
You had a standard you made me uphold
It is what has taught me to be so bold
Often, I wanted to run away
But your love showed me I had reason to stay
When I was wrong you let me know
But compassion you never failed to show
I had a rebellious way
And always felt a need to have the last say
To you this is nothing new to tell
For you knew having a child just like you could be a living hell
Hell I may have put you though
But to you my love will always be true
You taught me to persevere
And with that I was able to conquer my fear
I watched you and learned
That even the honest get burned
Through tough times you never quit
No matter how many times you got bit
You gave me the will to go on
Even when everything I hoped for was gone
Very few children have a father to teach them strength
And a mother to teach them grace
I count myself among those few
And for that much gratitude is due
To you I owe it all
For without you I would never have gotten up from my fall
-Lisa