Life Wisdom from Dad

My adult son recently requested from me my top-ten life lessons that I learned and can now can pass on. This is what I concluded:

1.       Begin every life journey with prayer and seeking the Lord’s wisdom in Scripture and the counsel of Godly people.

2.      Expect the unexpected because the Lord orders our steps. A misstep, a failure or a barrier does not mean it your journey is not from the Lord. It may be a course change.

3.      Never stop learning.

4.      Do your best to speak and write correctly.

5.      Prepare a plan and be flexible to a change by the Holy Spirit.

6.      God comes first, and family is a close second. Do not ignore your family’

7.       Treat everyone with respect regardless of age, gender and ethnicity.

8.      Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

9.      Always be thankful for what you have and do not dwell on what you do not have

10.   Enjoy your life journey and always encourage others.

Robert Parlante

March 2019

Let Me Introduce You

Let me introduce you to the newest member of our youngest daughter’s pet family. She is about 8 weeks old, exuberant and her name is “Amelia.” She replaced Remy who passed recently. Amelia is a mixed breed, easy to love and full of baby-dog antics. She likes to run and then collapse into a heap. Sounds like me!

Robert Parlante

February 2019

Yesterday,Today,Forever

In1957, “The Incredible Shrinking Man” was released and became a multimillion dollar movie. The film is the story of a man who keeps shrinking to nothingness after inhaling some atomic mist. It was strictly science fiction with some social commentary thrown into the mix about the horrors of nuclear warfare.

A few days ago I experienced my own version of the shrinking man. (It was not about me getting shorter as I get older.) It had to do with a bar of soap. I reached for a fresh boxed bar of soap and immediately thought the package felt smaller. When I opened the box, my expectations were confirmed. The bar of soap had shrunk in size with rounded corners that barely filled my open palm.

Hand soaps are not the only thing shrinking these days. Cereal boxes are half full. A gallon-size container of ice cream is a thing of the past. Tiny houses are all the rage. Even paychecks are “shrinking” because it costs more to buy less as we encounter minimal salary increases.

But one thing does not change nor shrink in value. It’s the same today as it was 2000+ years ago. Jesus Christ came with a gift of salvation. The heavens announced his birth with a proclamation of peace for all people. It’s not just the peace we experience where there is no conflict and we have enough funds to pay our bills. It’s the peace we experience when we know we have a way to reconcile ourselves, with a Savior, despite the turmoil in our lives.

Two thousand years later it is still the same. While soap bars shrink to accommodate the times, Hebrews13:8 reminds that us Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The best part of the gift of salvation is that it has blessed and eternal consequences.

Robert Parlante
February 2019

Thank You, Seven Years Late!

The story of the Seven Years Late Thank You note began, obviously, seven years ago. A couple decided they wanted to invite their neighborhood to supper on a Monday evening and introduce them to the Gospel. Feeling less confident about the Scriptural part they invited me and my wife to handle that portion of the evening. Their written invitations to the neighbors clearly indicated there would be spiritual discussion. Amazingly, about 20 people showed up and ultimately committed to a six week study. The neighbors may have showed up for the food, but they ended up with a different food that brought them back for more.

Having no knowledge of the neighbors or their walks in life, I prayed long and hard for the Lord to reveal the right Scripture passage for this gathering on the first night. I felt drawn to Joshua 1:9 ___ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

After I shared that passage, one couple opened up and related, through teary words, how their 14 year-old daughter had died from an asthma attack and the Joshua verse was her favorite passage and her daily meditation. Their testimony spoke to each one in the group ____ be strong and courageous as we confront any hurdle in life.

The group was an overwhelming success. At the close of the six-week study the host family wrote me a thank you note, put it aside and forgot to mail it … until seven years later. My friend said she had found the note in a drawer between some papers and decided to mail it anyway as it would provide an opportunity to once again praise God for his faithfulness.

Just as Joshua 1:9 spoke to the group attendees … the thank you arriving seven years later spoke to my spirit. There are always some days God has to send a faithful witness or a blessing from left field to remind us to be strong, courageous, and know he will always be with us. The seven-year-late thank you note did just that for me.

Sometimes rules need to be put aside. Most people would not dream of sending a thank you note seven years after the fact. But I’m glad my friend did, because that’s exactly what God knew I needed the day it arrived.

It really does not matter how we say thank you ___ whether it be Facebook, an old fashioned push-button telephone, snail mail, smart phone or texts full of grammar errors and misspelled words. And it really doesn’t matter when we say thank you. Emily Post may say we have X amount of time to say thank you. I say, “Forget it! Just do it!”

It is far better to say thank you, regardless of the timing, than to not say thank you at all.

Here’s a suggestion: Think about someone you should thank for any reason ___ a gift, an act of kindness, being a friend or close family member. Call, write, text and say thanks for being part of your life. If you’re reminded about lateness or other set of rules, acknowledge it and smile through it, because you’ve already done the most important part ___ you said thank you. Then trust the Lord because you have no idea what blessing God has in store for the recipient of your gratitude.

Robert Parlante

January 2019