Marlin and his daughter Adelaide were sitting on a bench watching the birds when a tiny gnat started buzzing around.
Adelaide, who has Down syndrome, suddenly stopped talking and with every ounce of her being looked at her dad with huge eyes and said, “Oh, daddy, bee!”
Marlin lives for those sweet, simple moments.
Life is full of big questions and struggles… feeling unworthy, comparing ourselves to others, wondering if we measure up, carrying guilt and shame.
But real joy often comes in the small, authentic moments: sitting with a friend, sharing struggles, and knowing we are loved anyway.
Marlin hopes that one day, authenticity and joy will be remembered about him.
These short, heartfelt Minutes with Marlin deliver quick moments of wisdom, faith, humility, and encouragement… perfect for busy homestead days when we need a gentle reminder of what really matters.
Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com
Transcripts
Marlin Miller:
Adelaide and I were sitting on a bench out back and we were watching the birds and we were watching the flock and there was this tiny little gnat just buzzing around, just being in the way. She had been talking, she always talks a mile a minute. All of a sudden she notices this little gnat and with every ounce of her little being, she has down syndrome, and so sometimes it takes her a little bit. And with every ounce of her being, she looked at me with these huge eyes and she said, “Oh, daddy, a bee.” We live for those moments, don’t we? It was just the sweetest thing. They are what makes life so special and such a blessing. When you stop and you think for a little bit and you think about the hard things, in the middle of those hard things, you can always go back to the joyful things that make you laugh and make you love life with this authentic joy.
And I think all of us deep down underneath, I think we all carry around these big questions of, am I good enough? What is the purpose of me being here? Why am I here? How can I be a better husband to my wife? How can I be a better dad to my kids? I bet you feel the same thing. I bet you ask the same questions when you lay your head on the pillow at night. I often feel unworthy because I know my own sinfulness and this nasty little gnawing in the back of my mind about my own guilt and shame. Maybe you struggle with comparing yourself to everybody else that you see all the time. And you know that in your mind you never measure up or at least you think that you never measure up. One of my greatest joys is to sit and talk and just listen to a friend and just share time and be real.
I know it might sound crazy, but I see real joy coming out of those conversations where we talk about the struggles and the pain and all the things that we as people deal with here on earth. You may not be okay. I’m definitely not okay, but that’s okay because he loves us anyway. I think of all the people that I respect the most. And a common thread that runs through those folks is the core of authenticity that they carry themself with and that they treat other people with. I really hope that is one thing that can be said of me at my funeral. I hope you find joy in the, uh-oh, daddy, a bee moments in your life.
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