Reaping What You Sow With Shoes That Fit

     Fairytales are so sweet and romantic.  They are also unrealistic.  When was the last time you heard of anyone living happily ever after?  Nobody, except maybe the Kardashians.
     My favourite fairytale is Cinderella.  It proves you don't have to be royalty to achieve your dreams.  It also gave us the adage If the shoe fits, wear it.  
     Years ago, when my children were tiny, there were a couple of people in our life who were too busy to spend time with our family.  They worked at the time, but their spare time was spent with other family members.   I tried to include them in our life, invitations to dinner, our childrens birthday parties, coffee, even phone conversations.  I warned them, I told them if they shut my children out, then later in their life when they needed or wanted my children, they would choose not to be a part of their life.  Unfortunately, they chose not to be apart of our life.  We of course, were expected to be at family gatherings they held, and we were.  As time marched on, as it always does, my children grew up.  They stopped asking about these others, they knew they really didn't care about their well being.  My children knew who loved them, and they were secure in that knowledge.
     My children are adults now.  My son has a full time job, and my daughter is busy raising her little ones.  Truth be told, my son and daughter choose not to go out of their way to see these people.  Everything has come full circle.  If my children see them, they say "Hello."  They are polite, but I can see they are only going through the motions.  I'm sure these individuals can feel the distance in my children's salutations.
    After the death of my parents, this couple told me how touching both funerals were.  My children stood up and spoke about what their grandma and papa meant to them, and what they did for them growing up.  It was a beautiful tribute.  One of this couple cried and asked "What would your children say at my funeral?"  I looked at her and said "I don't know."  I was in no mood to stroke someone's ego because they were feeling the noose around their neck.  The only thing I could say was "If the shoe fits, wear it."
     I have said it before, family doesn't mean a thing without a dedicated commitment from everyone.  Children are only young for a short while.  They remember who was part of their life, who went to watch them play hockey and soccer, watched them blow out their birthday candles, went to their graduation, or just everyday events.   They remember the people who took their time to be with them because they wanted to, because they love them.
     Its sad, the people this couple chose to spend their time with instead of my children, don't spend much time with them either.  I wonder if they think about what they should have done, or if they even realize it.  Family is a blessing, as well as an investment.  If you invest in your children and grandchildren, the interest and dividends will come back to you, if you don't, well then you become emotionally bankrupt.  It's a choice.
      My mom always told me You reap what you sow.  It's so true.  A good lesson, from God's own book.  True in everything in life.  Make your furrows deep, plant your seeds, water them and don't forget to weed them.  What you reap will grow and thrive...be it positive or negative.