For These ... I Give Thanks

Yesterday was Father's Day and all of my social media feeds were filled to overflowing with loving tributes to fathers both living and gone, coupled with photos of preciously held memories. I posted a pic of my husband and me with our kids and son-in-law, I called my dad, and I even texted my brother to wish him a happy day. But the whole day had me thinking about something that I used to say during every children's sermon I gave when I was still in ordained ministry and Mother's or Father's Day would roll around -- we shouldn't need to set aside a special day to tell the people that we love that they are important to us. We should be honoring, remembering, and loving our parents every day. Our spouses should know how wonderful we think they are based on our daily actions and not just because we said so in a Facebook post. Sure, I can Tweet to the world that my kids are awesome, but do I tell them to their faces ... on a regular basis?

Much has been written about the fact that the more seemingly connected we become virtually, the less connected we are able to be in real life. I'm not sure of how true that is, but I do know that loving each other ... day in and day out ... requires effort. And, I also know that it is important.

When I was a kid and Mother's Day or Father's Day would roll around, I would inevitably ask: "What about Kid's Day?" After a few years, I knew the parental response by heart: "Every day is Kid's Day." I would usually argue that it wasn't true, that I didn't get presents every day nor did I get to pick out a special meal every day. But, I also knew that there wasn't a day that went by when I didn't understand myself to be loved, treasured, and valued by my parents. In that sense, my parents were right ... every day really was "my" day.

Some rights reserved by Valerie Reneé

Who in your life may be wondering if they will ever have a "them" day? Is it your kids? An aging aunt or uncle that you haven't seen in a while? Maybe it's your spouse. Or, it could be that friend you've been meaning to call.

What would our world look like if we were intentional about making every day, someone's day? If it's been a while since you told someone that you love how important they are to you ... take the time to make today their day.