By Anna Von Reitz
I never realized it was any Big Deal or anything so unusual at the time, but in retrospect it is painfully clear that my Father's daily question to me was incredibly important and a sign of the blessing that has been with me all my life.
Every morning when I woke up, I would scamper out of bed and go looking for my Father. On weekdays, this would be very early, somewhere around five o'clock in the morning, as he left home for work each day by six.
I would find him in the kitchen most days, savoring his last drops of coffee and reading. My Mother, loyal to the core, would have been up since four cooking his breakfast (and now, mine) and packing his lunch for another day.
Upon seeing me, he would always immediately set his paperwork and coffee aside and open up his arms to me for a big, happy hug. Then, he would say, "And what can I do for you today?"
It was so simple. A happy hug, a look on his face that said, "You are my treasure!" and the question --- "What can I do for you today?"
Our Father in Heaven has that same attitude and question. It's never about Him. It's always about us. And the hug and the smile are written upon the stars of the galaxies and the rush of the winds and tides.
"So, my child, what can I do for you today?"
Most of the time, I just snuggled deeper into his arms and rested my head on his shoulder and was completely happy, needing nothing more. The silence spoke for me.
Other times, I would have something on my mind and I would ask for something or would ask for him to do something for me. I always understood that if what I asked for was good and it was reasonably within his power to give, I would get it. No questions asked.
I was spoiled rotten. And every day, I got another chance to answer his question.
Almost unconsciously, I have carried forward this same tradition with my own children.
As a parent, it's not about me --- it's about them. How can I best serve them, their needs, their interests, their life going forward? What is on their mind and in their heart? What are their dreams?
You only find out by asking in an atmosphere of love and acceptance, by creating a little Sacred Space, where they are safe and comfortable telling you the truth every single day.
Over time, asking and answering this simple question creates a bond that time and even death cannot erase. I am still very close to my Father, and not just because I carry his DNA, but because his mind and spirit and attitude took root in me, too. His question has become my question.
What can I do for you today? How can I make your life better?
As I have gotten older I have come to realize that many people spend their lives and are never asked that question by anyone who cares. This leaves a void and an emptiness in their lives, as if they are unconsciously waiting and listening --- and the question never comes.
I have also come to realize that most men are left ill-prepared for the stress and strain of Fatherhood, much less prepared to embrace its joys. Fathers in the current world have largely been reduced to being bread-winners, and judged according to how much money they drag through the door --- but being a Father is much more than that.
Fatherhood is a mirror of our relationship with our Creator, and ideally, a means for us to understand our relationship with our Divine Father. When this mirror is cracked or dimmed or dirtied, it is difficult for children to find the True God within themselves.
So, once again, I must admit that I was well and truly and fabulously blessed.
My earthly Father was all that a child could ask for or need. He offered me a clear and steady insight into what it means to have a "Father in Heaven", and though it was his voice asking me The Question every morning of my life, I have come to know that Our Father in Heaven asks each one of us that same question every day:
"Beloved Child, what can I do for you today?"
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