As I get older, I realize there are things in my life I didn't appreciate
until it was too late. I didn't appreciate the naps they used to make me
take in kindergarten. I long for the day when someone says, "You can't work
anymore until you take a nap." I guarantee you, I won't argue.
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I didn't appreciate one-cent candy or milk that was delivered to your front
door. In the "do-it-yourself" world we'll never see either of those again.
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I didn't appreciate those face-squishing hugs my mother used to give me.
Now that she's gone home to be with the Lord, I long for just one more.
This time I would squish her right back.
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I didn't appreciate the days I danced barefoot in the rain with my mouth
open wide trying to get a drink of raindrops.
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I didn't appreciate the sacrifice my parents made for my brothers and me to
keep us clothed, fed and happy.
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I didn't appreciate mom letting us mess up the living room on a rainy day.
I thought building a tent with a secret tunnel is what everyone did on those
days.
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I didn't appreciate the marvels of planting a seed and watching it sprout
into a full-grown plant.
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I didn't appreciate the struggles we had to go through as a family.
Because of yesterday's struggles, we have strength for today.
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I didn't appreciate the times my sons came to me and asked those annoying,
unanswerable questions.
"What makes a duck quack?"
"Why is the sky blue?"
I had no idea they thought I was smart enough to answer all their questions.
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I didn't appreciate the times our family had together.
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I didn't appreciate those "primary" Sunday School teachers who went through
so much trouble to collect toilet paper rolls so I could understand what a
scroll was.
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I didn't appreciate those clear nights when the stars danced with glee
showing off their awesome Creator.
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I didn't appreciate our son's "refrigerator artwork" that made our house a
home.
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I didn't know to appreciate the muddy footprints my wife and I so often
found making a path across our carpet as a representation of life.
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I didn't appreciate the times my children fell asleep in daddy's arms. I
didn't realize it was there they felt protected from all the elements of
the world.
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I didn't appreciate my parents taking me to church, the place I found Jesus!
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I didn't appreciate the ease at which I can access a Bible, while I know
people who hunger for a single page.
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And, even today, I can't fully appreciate what a great salvation I have.
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God, I have just one prayer for today. Open my eyes that I may be able to
see and appreciate the things that you do each day.
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