Journalentry Quote #7020929
all quotes · journalentry · mydads · imisstegan · irememberthisohsowell · quote ·

MENDING BROKEN THINGS -My dad's journal writtings. It was

MENDING BROKEN THINGS
-My dad's journal writtings.

It was late spring, Tegan's headstone hadn't yet arrived and each day was getting a little warmer than the day before. It had only been a few months since I lost my son and my soul was still dizzy with grief. Quietly, I was grateful for the warmer days because the cold winter air carried with it vivid memories of the bitter cold morning my dear son was leaving our house for the last time. I will write of that experience soon.

So, on this spring afternoon Aubree asked if I'd take her to see Tegan and I told her I'd be glad to. Just then she dashed into Tegan's room to grab something. A minute later she came back with one of her brother's favorite family picture and said, "okay, let's go".  As we arrived at the cemetery I was curious what Aubree had in mind so I gave her some space and said, "Take your time sweetheart, I'll be nearby."

With that, she handed me Tegan's favorite family picture and gave me a soft grin, a confident nod, then sat on the grass and started talking to her older brother. I could faintly hear Aubree's young voice as she told her missing brother summer was around the corner, school was quickly coming to an end and a little about the movies she and Tegan wanted to see.  Aubree told Tegan about some of the new friends she made throughout the year and how her teacher was so kind to her when she cried in class because she missed him. Aubree continued to tell her brother about the tree Tegan's friends and classmates planted in his honor.

It was a tender thing to see my youngest daughter struggling to sort things out. I sat in the distance and cried as I overheard Aubree tell Tegan how much she loved and missed him. I cried because I missed my Tegan with all my heart; I cried also because my youngest daughter was in pain, too.

The protective father in me was tempted to sweet Aubree away... to try and distract her from the harsh realities of life. But I knew that would not help my daughter learn how to deal with hard things. For life is full of hard things and if I'm to pass on something, I want it to be a knowledge of how to weather the storms of life. For if there if one thing we can be sure of, it is we'll all come to know hardship... we're all going to get broken in one way or another.

In this moment I realized my responsibility as a loving father wasn't to keep my daughter from breaking or being hurt, for that is impossible... but rather to teach my daughter how to mend broken things. I wanted Aubree to understand true strength isn't seen in pretending to be unbreakable but in having the courage to make broken things strong. 

This is the thing I pray to teach my daughter; there are always broken things to mend - but if she's wise, she will seek Heaven's help and find the strength of a million men.
Though I am also broken, I seek after the very things of which I have spoken.


  

 

Be the first to comment on this quote.

3 Wittians like this

Y0UNGL0V3MURD3RMiluiel*Brown_Eyed_Wonder*

AubreeMae

posted October 30, 2014 at 6:32pm UTC tagged with journalentry, mydads, imisstegan, irememberthisohsowell, quote

more quotes by AubreeMae

related quotes