Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~Jesse Jackson
August is the month that both my parents were born. At 32, I still need my parents. I don't need them to kiss skinned knees, wash my hair or remind me to clean my room (okay, maybe I still need that last one). As an adult, the wounds can cut a bit more deeply and need more than a band-aid to heal. This means you need your parents presence more than you did as a child.
The presence you need as an adult isn't always physical. Sure, when I walk into my parents' home and smell something cooking, get a greeting at the door (and sometimes on the porch almost before I even get out of the car), and receive those hugs that always make tears well-up in my eyes the physical presence is something I would never trade. However, living 500 miles away, the voice on the other end of the phone is life-saving - literally. The card in the mail for no reason, just so the walk to the mailbox was not in vain and just merely accepting me and the way I have chosen to live my life, different from them, has made all the difference.
Growing up as a middle child in a house full of girls, I never heard that women were weaker, less worthy or should expect less. I was (and still am) fiercely independent. I have my parents to thank for this. As an adult, I have their presence in my life to be thankful for. They have been my biggest cheerleaders, my closest confidants and the most present people in my life - never missing a swim meet, graduation, birthday or holiday. They have been generous with presents but the thing that has meant the most is the generosity of presence.
I love you mom and dad!
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