Family Dates

Life's a busy roller-coaster. Not many people say, "Man, I just don't have enough to do today."
Our life plates are usually overflowing making us look like that person at a buffet who seems
to think he won't eat again this decade.
So how do families find time for each other in the midst of life's chaos?

Family Dates!

Many couples designate a certain night of the week as the infamous DATE NIGHT.
I'm fan and think this is a Good thing.

But often we forget how fleeting the time we have with our children is and we never set aside a night,
or part of a day or even an hour as a Family Date.
Maybe we just don't think about it, but I think it's as important as the sacred DATE NIGHT.

We take Family Dates.
Not every week, but usually a few times a month.
This doesn't mean this date is the only time we spend together, but it's
special.
We do something special or silly, like go get an ice cream or go the park or
go to our favorite pizza place downtown.

They're usually nothing expensive, but it's time that we put our cell phones away and
really focus on our family.

I know I'll treasure those dates as much as I treasure the ones with my husband because
I know my time with my sweet boy is fleeting. One day I'll wake up and he'll be grown and moved away busy with the chaos of his own life.

A Family of Unseen Faces

We set a date---a family date.
There are no highheels and fancy clothes on family dates.
There's just ordinary clothes and everyday shoes.

We may visit the park
or just get an ice cream or two!

We don't set high expectations
We only desire that we are all together.

For now there are only three
But all around us are the whispers of the
unseen faces
that all belong in this family.

Three are those that have gone ahead
Already living in the life that's to come.

One (the loudest whisper) has yet to
join this family.

Yet, he's there and we wonder
What he looks like
What he smells like
What his laugh sounds like.
If he'll like us and maybe one
day love us.

For now, we have our family dates with only the
hope of him.

But soon, we have the reality of him.

Until then...

we wait.

Colors

Colors are everywhere.

We usually have a favorite or favorites

And think it sad when someone can't see colors

Because they miss out the beauty of things.

We teach our small children or are taught as small children to

differentiate among colors.

It's an important skill that we must master.

We also are taught to notice sameness and differentness.

Another skill considered of great importance.

At some point in our education though, we acquire the habit of 

Prejudice.

We begin to think that Round is significantly less than Square

And Tall is better than short.

Or that white is greater than black,

though white is really the absence of color and not like black at all.

It is our pride that causes us to do this.

You see God doesn't make such distinctions or make such declarations.

And He's the creator.

He's the one who first called round, round and square, square

and tall, tall and short, short

and white, white and black, black.

So, yes, there is differentness

but not

betterness because of our size, or height, or skin color.

For God loved All the world...All.

Birthdays, Colors, and Waits

John Owen Thurman will turn a grand two years old in exactly 14 days!

He's lived A LOT of life in those almost two years.
He knows how to say the letter "A" and how to count to 3 and if you ask him what his name is, he'll
say, "Me!"
He's had almost ten haircuts, visited nine states, fallen an innumerable amount of times, swam in the ocean and pools.
His best friend is his dog, June. She's a black lab.

He loves fruit and juice and especially Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. (They are his favorite!)
He's learning to use the big boy potty.
He still sleeps in his crib.
He makes me smile, laugh, cry, and want to scream all in the same day.

He is my third child of four and the only one I have been given the privilege to walk this life on earth with. (The others I'll see in eternity.)

I treasure my time with him and know that he is on loan to me.
I try everyday to drink in everything about him, even the temper tantrums and hard-headedness.

He has a brother in Ethiopia that we haven't met yet!

We hope to meet him soon.

But until we do,

We wait...