Reason #786
At our employee meeting yesterday morning, the CEO of the bank made sure to emphasize the importance of “family first.” In fact, that’s our first core value. He talked to us about the fact that there will only be one first day of pre-school, but you’ll always have work waiting on you. He talked about the importance of not giving your complete self to the office so that at the end of the day, you have some of yourself to give when you go home. He said, “You can’t be a good spouse or parent if you’re leaving all you have on the field each day.” He encouraged us to be involved in the lives of our loved ones. He said, “It’s okay to take if you give back. And if you’ve been giving a lot, then take some for yourself.” Because, in America, the expectation is to work and work and squeeze in family time when you can, giving your entire self to the office rather than to your home. I’m grateful to work for a company who sees the value of family and has it as their first priority.
I’m not in a position that requires more than 40 hours of my time each week. I’ll probably never be, honestly. That’s okay though because as much as I appreciate having a job, I also appreciate having free time in the evenings and on the weekends. I have an 8:00 – 5:00 mentality, which is probably why I’ll never be chief of anything. But I grew up with parents who were home all evening, every evening and that’s just what I am used to. Yet sometimes, it doesn’t have to be the office that is calling us away. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be work that is stealing our time and energy. Sometimes it’s all of the other commitments that keep us tied up. It’s the inability to say “no.” It’s the desire to be please everyone and be everything. Well, the truth is, people won’t be around forever. Work and social events aren’t going anywhere.
I got to have lunch with my mom today, and I really enjoyed it. Any time I get to spend with family is treasured time. Throughout the years, I’ve found that it’s family that remains. They are the constant, the thing that never changes, and so it’s worth the work to build strong relationships with them. One day, I will no longer be an auditor at the bank. Someone else will replace me, and life at the office will continue without interruption. But I’m only going to have one set of parents for the rest of my life. The grandparents I have are the only grandparents I’ll ever have. No one else will ever be my brother besides my brother. My future children won’t get another mom, and unless Aaron out lives me, I’ll be his only wife. I’ll never get another one of any of these people, and they’ll never get another one of me. When our time on this earth is said and done, we’ll either be left with a lot of sweet memories or wishing we would have made time for one another why we still had the chance.
Be involved. Care about people. Care about your job. Care about your community. But more than that, care about your family. You’re are all each other has, and everyone’s days are numbered. You may get to live out a lot of them or maybe just a few, but no matter the number, you can still make them just as sweet if you choose to.
#786 - For the constant and the blessings of family.
"Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next." - Isaiah 38:19