They are my parents and they’re a gift from God

Let’s talk about gratitude. I believe in gratitude. Being appreciative cultivates a sense of joy in you. It is food for the soul. It changes your perspective so that you focus on the positive more than the negative things around you. Being thankful is great for your mental health and wellbeing. It propels you to do good for others with what you have received. It helps strengthen your connection to God because it opens your eyes to his goodness and to the fact that you’re blessed abundantly. Gratitude can uplift you when you need it the most.

I make an effort to count my blessings as often as I can remember. When I count my blessings, my loved ones are right at the top of the list. Family and friendship mean a lot to me. I see them as beautiful gifts from God. This is especially true for my parents. I’ve expressed gratitude for them and to them before but gratitude is a state of mind, a state of being. So, indulge me while I openly share my gratitude for these two incredible humans again 😊 There are so many things about my parents that I am grateful for. I could write pages and pages about it. I’ll stick to the four that are usually top of mind.

They intended to have me

My second name is Kudakwashe, a Shona name which means God’s will. There’s a story behind that. See, I was a surprise pregnancy. However, my parents thought of my arrival as God willing me into existence and they named me accordingly. To them, I did not come about by chance or by mistake. It is a beautiful and special thing for me to know that my parents thought of me as a gift designed by God. In addition to that, my parents envisioned all of the best for me and my siblings. My first name is Florence, after my dad’s sister. It means to flourish, prosper, bloom or blossom.

I love and appreciate both my names and what they represent. I remember when I was young, daddy would often sit my siblings and me down and ask us great questions about our dreams and desires. One question that stuck with me over the years is, “If money wasn’t a factor what would you want to do with your life?” My answer evolved and changed over the years but what never changed was my dad’s response. He was always interested in and encouraging of my dreams and desires as was my mum. I’m so grateful for that.

They love me unconditionally

Another thing that I’m very grateful for is knowing that I am loved for simply existing. Whilst I question many things in life, there is one thing that I know for certain. I know that I am loved unconditionally. There were many times, especially as a teenager, that I tested the boundaries of that love and acceptance. As a result, I can confidently say that there was and is nothing that I could do to cause my mum to reject me or stop loving me. Likewise, my dad loved and accepted me just as I am till the day that he breathed his last. They both corrected and dealt with my wrongdoings and mistakes with love and patience. My perspective is that my shortcomings or mistakes do not define who I am. I am not the sum total of my accomplishments or failures. I owe that perspective to my parents and to my heavenly Father who they introduced me to 🙏.

They raised me in the way of the Lord

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Many of the core values that my parents upheld and passed onto me and my siblings actually come from the Bible. Long before I knew scripture, my parents taught my siblings and me valuable and practical lessons from it. As an example, mummy always used to tell me to never to argue with a fool so as not to look and act like a fool myself 😃.

Years later, as I was exploring the Bible, I realised she had been quoting from Proverbs 26:4.  Another firm favourite was “let your yes mean yes and no mean no.” This meant that I had to be careful not to make thoughtless promises or oaths. These are just a few of many life lessons and values that I internalised from a young age only to realise later that they had been plucked directly from God’s Word. My parents raised me to value truth, honesty, forgiveness, generosity, kindness, peace, compassion, acceptance of others, and more. I am so thankful for that.

They are Great role models

It is a privilege to be able to say that I look up to my mum and dad. I learnt so much from watching them and listening to them both. They not only talked the talk but they walked the walk. Sure, they made many mistakes over the years. They are human after all. I am not trying to pass them off as saints 😁. However, they modelled what they taught me as best as they could. I remember daddy always used to tell me to keep my word. “Even if you don’t have a cent to your name, your word must be worth its weight in gold!” he’d say. He was very principled and, yes, he kept his word. I’m grateful that he and my mum modelled integrity for me, among many other lessons.

My mum is a lady who wears many hats gracefully. I watched her be a mum, a wife, a successful nurse and midwife, a pastor, a business owner and above all else, a devoted child of God. When she failed, I watched her dust herself off and keep going. When she excelled, I watched her reach out a helping hand to lift up those around her with humility. I watched my dad do the same. He was hardworking yet humble in his success. When he failed, he never allowed that to dictate who he was or keep him down. My parents instilled a growth mindset in me. They showed me what it means to never give up. They taught me to help others by serving. Oh, what a gift God gave me in my parents. I’m so thankful for Ambrose and Esnath.

Love,