The Flame Within

Everyone loves a present!
Presents come in all shapes and sizes.
Big… Medium… Small.
Expensive… Inexpensive… Even Free.
Presents exhibit one very important thing…
“Someone was thinking of you!”
Someone loves you and wants to see you smile!

Yet, presents, aren’t the only kind of gift.
Actually, their not even the most important kind of gift.

The most important gift one can give to another is…
Their presence.
Being truly available in the present.
Truly present in the moment.
To be present and spending quality time with your loved ones, is the ultimate way to say… “I love you! I care about you! I cherish you!”

The act of being present with the people you love, is the most priceless gift one can give to another individual.
My husband, Robert W. Ridlon III, pus this into practice everyday, the art of being present with the People he loves.
As I browsed through years of photographs, years of wonderful memories, it became clear to me… the manner my husband is truly present in our lives.
My husband, the daddy to our 4 children, has made it’s is life’s goal, to be truly “present” in our lives. His smiling, silly, and sometimes serious face, appears innumerous times throughout 16 years of marriage and so many photos taken of our family.

He is always, present, engaged, and involved in the day to day moments of our marriage and in the lives of our children.
As I pondered his presence in our lives, the numerous clicks etching forever images in our family albums, I was simply amazed.

Yet, in the recesses of my mind, I began to ponder all the unclicked moments, the daily activities, and talks in which he’s been truly present in all our lives. It lead me to one final conclusion and I’d like to say…

“Thank you Robert! Thank you for the gift of your unconditional presence in my life! For remaining present daily in the lives of our children! Thank you for the greatest “present” in the world, your time! We love you! We value you! We admire you! We are proud of you! Most importantly, we thank you for leading our family spiritually, and reminding us daily of the unconditional love of the Heavenly Father in our lives! Happy Father’s Day!”