friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life.
-Thomas Jefferson
The author of the Declaration of Independence obviously saw the value in dependence as well.
Bill Gates, another great American icon, also acknowledges his dependence. In his new book, Bill shares how his father, his most trusted friend, intentionally molded that friendship from Bill’s youth up.
In the Gates home, the tradition of Sunday night dinner was a time to connect and explore. Bill would talk to his father about his ideas, successes and struggles. They would discuss what was happening in the community or the world of business, and Bill later said, “I felt equipped as I was dealing with adults to talk to them in a comfortable fashion because my parents had shared how they thought about things.”
So as we celebrate our independence, let’s not forget our dependence. It’s vital that we set aside time to nurture it. Sunday night family meetings worked for us at the Bahler house. We shared our thoughts and feelings about the past and upcoming week and finished up with a prayer. Those meetings gave us some of our most cherished moments.
This Independence Day weekend could be the perfect time to think about our need for dependence and start rebuilding some of those important relationships in our lives.
