We walked into the quiet, dimly lit room where he lay peacefully with his eyes closed and his hands folded, resting on his chest. He looked as though he was “not afraid and his sleep was sweet.” ~Proverbs 3:24

We pulled up chairs as near to him as possible. I gently laid my head on his shoulder, placed my hand upon his hand, and while my tears flowed, I softly sang into his ear…

God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.

That was 6 years ago when I said my final goodbye to my dad. He went home to Heaven as humbly as he lived his life on Earth. My dad was such a positive role model for me. He certainly showed me how to live my life humbly and honestly and lovingly. He handed down so many life lessons, and I am forever grateful to him for that.

At a concert a few nights ago, my husband and I heard Christian song writer and story teller, Mark Schultz, sing his song called Handed Down.

This song brought back fond memories of my dad. So naturally after the concert, my hubby and I shared memories about all those things that have been handed down to us. Things such as his grandpa’s old clock, my dad’s Coca Cola doll, my great-grandma’s oil lamp, and my mom’s gorgeous diamond wedding ring.

As Mark sings in his song…

All through these years I guess I’ve learned a thing or two
You can’t put a price on things that mean the most to you.

My husband and I also chatted about the greatest gifts handed down to us by those we love…our morals and our values. We were taught to…

• Respect our elders
• Treat others the way we want to be treated
• Never forget where we came from
• Show gratitude and grace
• Always apologize when we’ve done wrong
• Work hard at everything we do
• Mind our manners
• Grant patience
• Be kind
• Give and give some more
• Love and support our family
• Never judge anyone
• Grip firmly when shaking a hand
• Forgive
• Give hugs
• Say please and thank you
• Love and serve others
• Live graciously
• Stick up for what we believe is right
• Never do anything we would regret if Jesus were to show up while we were doing it
• Smile
• Fight hard against life’s battles
• Be all in with arms open wide
• Go to church
• Put Jesus first in all we do

So you see…it is not the things we can buy that are the most important to us. With a little tweaking of Mark Schultz’s words in his song, this is what Dean and I believe matters most…

We finally woke up and we took a look around
Seeing the things that mean the most to us we’ve found
Are life’s lessons handed down.

Thank you for a great concert, Mark, and for nudging us to take a trip down memory lane. 😉

Thank you, dad! I am who I am today because of all you’ve handed down to me. Fingers crossed that we, too, are handing down some amazing life lessons to our children and grandchildren. ❤

Eddie Wussow: July 3, 1929 – August 18, 2013

What life lessons have been handed down to you? What life lessons are you handing down to others?

Stay Calm & Hand Down Some Amazing Life Lessons!
Profs Dr. Wendy. & Dr. V.