June 16, 1999
DOWN HOME:
Capture magical moments;
make more time for kids
___Some moments, like magnificent Texas sunsets, are pure gift. You can't plan them; you can't exactly repeat them. They just happen. Thank God.
___We enjoyed a time like that one night last week.
___Lindsay and Molly were getting ready for bed, so Joanna and I climbed upstairs to kiss them good night. We arrived a little early, while the girls still were brushing their teeth and washing their faces. So, we just hung out for awhile.
___Then it happened. I can't tell you exactly what it was, either.
___Lindsay walked out of the bathroom and announced, "I have an idea."
___"Let's alert the media," I suggested.
___Molly thought that was funny (always a good sign when a kid thinks Daddy's funny),and we all laughed.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___Then we joked about anything and everything. Don't ask me for the details, because they're not so important. I just remember the sound of laughter from my wife and our daughters.
___Jo and I cuddled on Molly's bed while the girls walked in and out, polishing incisors and scrubbing foreheads. We all chatted about summer and what happened that day and the silly things that make life interesting.
___Then we kissed our girls good night, turned out the light and hiked back down the stairs. And I felt I couldn't be happier in heaven.
___That all sounds pretty silly, maybe even stupid, unless you've had moments like that. Then, of course, you know it's the best feeling in the world.
___This Sunday is Father's Day, and lots of men will talk about the "quality time" they spend with their kids. Big trips and fancy events are fun, and kids enjoy them. But I've learned that golden moments flow out of quantity time. Give children your most valuable commodity--time--and they'll reward you exponentially with words and hugs and laughter and songs you'll replay as long as you live.
___My daddy was (and still is) a great father. We took vacations and had parties and did "quality time" before any child-rearing guru ever put it in a book. But the moments I remember most fondly spun out of the volume of time Daddy gave to me. They're captured like timeless photographs: Tossing the football in the front yard. Working jigsaw puzzles on the card table. Shooting hoops in the driveway. Drilling history test questions. Long trips across the Panhandle, just the two of us, with our faces lit by the dashboard light and the range blanketed by the glow of the moon. A million quick trips to the store for milk and bread.
___God gave us many treasures, and children are priceless. Parents, enjoy them, and give them the minutes and hours of your lives. Some day--too quickly--those children, like these golden moments, will be gone.
___
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