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Honoring Our Parents

    While most of us tend to think of honoring someone as praising them, giving them gifts or awards, there may be other more significant ways to honor them. Sometimes just thanking them is an honor, as in the case of a teacher or counselor, who may not realize the affect they had on you.

    For parents, or guardians, perhaps the best way to honor them is to be really good people. If you are kind, decent, honest, and trust-worthy, this is an honor to the people who raised you, even if they weren't always that way themselves. Being good at your job, raising your family conscientiously, being a good neighbor is an honor to your parents. Being successful in the community, staying out of debt, and practicing charity are also ways to honor your parents. Taking care of your parents when they are sick or elderly also honors them.

    I know that not all people will appreciate your goodness, your generosity, your success, your high standards of morality. Some parents are just too self-centered, too difficult to please. Accept that these will never realize they are being honored. But you know that your citizenship, your spirituality, your achievement elevate you to a higher plane of living, and this is an honor to those who have brought you into the world, those who raised you, and those who have led you and influenced you. Always strive to be a better person!