In Not So Many Words

Recently we received some great news that we were expecting another little one in the family. Being the opportunist that I am, I took this as a chance to once again try to convince my father that there would be no babies from his youngest anytime in the near future - if ever. I had my argument planned out before the phone call. Please read on to see how the conversation went (and note this is the abbreviated version so please don't get offended):

Me: "So, you got the text?"
Dad: "Yep, another little one."
Me: "It's great for them..." (I think I may have stressed THEM as a precursor)
Dad: "Yep, they wanted another one."
Me: "I'm happy for them - they can keep having babies. Not me."
Dad: "Good. I've been trying to tell all of you that you shouldn't even have kids. They're too expensive."

Umm...huh? I think I actually got silent at that point in the conversation. Up until recently, my father was trying to marry me off (I stopped mentioning names of guys I went out with) and seemed to be expecting that I would be expecting. My silence gave him the chance to go off on a rant about how much money it cost to raise a child until he/she was 18. Then he said the best thing ever:

Dad: "Save your money for a new car. With what you'll be getting paid for the rest of your life you're gonna need all the cash you can get."

So call me crazy - but I'm fairly certain that I just heard my father tell me that he accepted who I was and was proud of the person I was becoming. There are no words to adequately describe the feeling that washed over me in that exact moment. Who knew the one thing I'd been searching for within myself could be validated and uncovered by hearing someone else make that acknowledgement? The one person (other than my mother) who was so completely invested in me as a person had just given me the most precious gift. A moment I'll treasure, even if it came in a roundabout way.

My hope is that each of you today receive that gift of acceptance and acknowledgement from those you love - and that you continue to spread that gift. All it takes is one person to give us the faith we need to begin to believe in ourselves. Even if it's in not so many words...