Growing up, my Dad always gave up the best portion to us.

I could never figure out why he didn’t take the largest piece of cake, or why he’d let us have the last cookie.

I was a child, so I thought as a child does. I was looking out for me. He was also looking out for me.

What we don’t realize as kids is that our parents are people, too. We have our own dreams and desires, but we can’t imagine, or even think to imagine, that our parents do too.

We want to go to Disney World, while our parents dream of climbing the Great Wall of China. We want to have dinner at a friend’s house while our parents dream of the family eating together.

This was really a great model for me.

Now, as a father, I see how that sacrifice is not just a sign of love, it is love. It imputes love to me, even if I’m not able to understand or even perceive it in the moment.

We sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean that we lose out. No, our giving up allows us to love our families more deeply, and that is a greater gain than the last cookie.

Tags: Generosity