Will You Miss Your Parent(s) after they Pass Away?
This one is for them.
“Daddy don’t pray anymore”
starts with this line, which states that the father of the writer doesn’t pray anymore. Chris Stapleton, carves out this beautiful radical song about his father, from his album Traveller.
Daddy don’t pray anymore
I guess he’s finished talking to the lord
He used to fold his hands and bow his head down to the floor
But daddy don’t pray anymore
He wonders if his father has now lost faith. And if that is the reason that he won’t pray anymore.
There are always times in our lives when we break down and lose our faith. Our motivation. We lose our paths. We wander off.
Do you remember a time, when as a child, you saw your parent steering off the path? Or even when you’re older ?
I remember even when the times were bad
He thanked jesus for everything he had
For a good wife and three children
And the food upon our plates
Yeah, everything was right when he said, grace
Chris talks about his father being grateful to God for everything He bestowed upon him. Basic social human needs of food, family & some higher power to believe in.
Gratitude is what will keep you always grounded; for all what you have achieved is never solely because of you. Be thankful for what you have and how much you have. :)
This can be completely agnostic. We don’t necessarily have to believe in a superior being. All we have to be, is conscious of ourselves & be happy about the life we’ve got.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
― Maya Angelou
How did your parents express gratitude?
There was a time when we didn’t get along
’Cause I thought I was right and he was wrong
Still when I laid down at night
I’d hear him get down on his knees
And say a little prayer for me
Chris’s father would pray for Chris even when they’ve fought; when Chris would be adamant that he was right and his father, wrong.
Most of us are blessed with parent(s) that care for us more than we do ourselves. They look past our mistakes and flaws, and accept us for who we are. We are after all, a part of them. Even when we’re not in best of our terms with them, they still do care.
Can you remember a time when your parent(s) cared for you in tough times, bypassing the resistance you had for their love ?
Today I followed daddy down to church
And listened to the preacher read god’s word
We sang his favorite hymn but daddy didn’t make a sound
This afternoon we’ll lay him in the ground
Daddy don’t pray anymore
I guess he’s finally walking with the lord
He used to fold his hands and bow his head down to the floor
But daddy don’t pray anymore
Chris recalls the day his father died. The day when it all ended.
It is tough to overcome a parent’s loss. No matter how our relationship with our parent(s) might be. They might sometimes not even be our birth-givers, but somehow have raised us.
After the times, when they’ve lived their last breaths, how would we be as their children? What will we have had left of our relationship with them?
“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
