Will that be me?

As I was sitting at the local bookstore, reading some material I had brought with me, I noticed that across from me sat a younger woman about 19 or 20. An older man then approached and greeted her in a very friendly manner as he sat next to her. As they talked and conversed over a coffee, I wondered what type of relationship they had with each other. Were they friends? Teacher and student? In a relationship perhaps? Not sure. I couldn’t figure what the relation type was because it was warm and friendly, but at the same time respectable and comfortable. They happily laughed and talked for some time, still leaving me guessing their connection. As the man got up to leave, they parted in a friendly manner . As he walked off, the woman then abruptly said “Oh, Dad…” and quickly said her last few words before he finally left. “Oh, so that’s what they are—Father and Daughter” I thought to myself finally able to put my curiosity at ease. As I replayed in my mind that last hour of those two just talking and relaxing together, I thought about my own kids when they grow up and becoming of age like that young woman. The journey that father and daughter took in life, led up to the friendship and interaction they now had and shared. Would that be me 15-20 years from now? Will that kind of friendship and closeness flourish and grow with my young kids in the years to come? With all my heart, I hope so. Only time will tell from the choices and decisions I make with them each day. Are my actions, words and sample today one that will build us closer or further from each other? The way I interact with them today, will they benefit and become better person(s)because of it?

What we go through together and how we deal with it together, will be the bond that will shape our interaction in the future. I hope to be that parent, who like that father, experiences the reward of friendship and close bond with his child not just in their younger years but in their older years to follow. From those few moments of observation that day, I pray I too can show that same pride and joy to others (if they too happen to observe) that a parent and child can become the closest of friends.

--Promise