What does it mean to honor our parents?

I think it means to be grateful to them, to appreciate them for the sacrifices they have made.  To see them as extremely important and their opinion always worthy of deep consideration.  To say “Thank you.”  Thank you for all you do and the way you live your life.  You are wonderful examples for the kids, and we love you.

We also honor our parents by helping them in any way we can.  We will never be able to repay them (how do you repay someone for giving you life and loving you as you are, at least until you learned to talk?), but we can do what we can.  Without our parents, we would not exist, and learning from our parents, we continue to grow.  We hope we can become as beautiful a flower as they are, soaking up the rain in our lives to develop strength and perseverance while remaining tender-hearted.  Because, as Rabbi Nachman once said, “If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?”

And with this post, I close out the Press On summer series.  Thanks to everyone who has made this a wonderful summer, especially my parents.

Peace out!