how it started

Whenever anyone asked my father what he would like for his birthday or for Christmas, he would always answer “a few kind words.” That drove us all insane. I didn’t know how to buy a few kind words and wrap them up in a box.

So, I bought him a tie with tennis racquets on it or some argyle socks or a package of cigarette lighters in neon colors. I thought that asking for a few kind words was like asking for nothing. Wasn’t gift giving the way we show someone we love them? Apparently, not to my father; he had his own language of love. He was a man of few words but those words were always supportive, positive and nurturing.

And then, on January 31, 1987, dad had a heart attack while playing tennis and was gone. He was 67, I was 24 and newly engaged. He didn’t get the chance to walk me down the aisle and I didn’t get the chance to give him those “few kind words.”

Decades later, after raising my own family and becoming a Life & Wellness Coach, I now have a huge appreciation for what my dad was brave enough to ask for….love, appreciation and affirmation.