43...Fourty Three...FOURTY THREE. Yep, that's me. 43 years now treadin' on this earth. I actually had my 43rd brday (yes, that IS spelled right...in our house anyway) several days ago. I remember that my 40th wasn't too traumatic, and neither was my 43rd. Seemed like, well, just another day in paradise.
I'm thinking about it because we had our family dinner tonight and I got my brday cards and presents today, rather than last Thursday. I came home from the dentists' office to see a bunch of mylar baloons straining against the ribbon as they yearned to sail away into the brisk fall breeze. That was a nice surprise, especially coming on the heels of a semi-annual cleaning at the dentist office.
Did I say cleaning? I meant scraping. You know, you've been there. They poke your gums and scrape away tarter, while lecturing you on your poor flossing habits.
My 18 yr-old daughter is not living with us, but she comes home for dinner every Monday. Our lives have been sooo hectic...2 teenage girls in college, 2 middle-schoolers, my career, my wife's part-time work, our book promotions, our church involvement.
For many months we were all travelling in different directions, so we established Monday nights as Family Dinner nights. It's been a great way to reconnect with our daughter that's away from home (she's only across town), as well as the other kids too.
Our daughter is learning some good life lessons, being responsible for herself, and starting to think about things differently. We are praying for her continuously, and are so happy that she is coming home each week, and that our family is reconnected, if only for a few hours.
If your family life is like ours, with kids and the two parents going in different directions, let me challenge you to find a few hours each week and establish a Family Night of your own. Have dinner. Play games. Or, just sit around the table and talk. We've had some of our best conversations around the dinner table these last several weeks.
Reconnect with your family, before it's too late! After all, nothing is more important than your spouse and your family!
No comments:
Post a Comment