August 5, 2002
DOWN HOME:
Perfect weekend on the homefront
___We had a perfect weekend.
___My definition of "perfect" has changed tremendously during the last few years. Not so long ago, when our girls were little, a weekend couldn't attain perfection unless it included a one-on-one date with my wife, Joanna.
___We love our girls, Lindsay and Molly, like peanut butter loves jelly. But little kids demand focus and time, and we would get starved for adult conversation. That, of course, was impossible at home, at least until they went to bed.
___We needed a break. And, truth be told, we were better parents when we had a night out for "just us."
MARV KNOX
Editor
___Somewhere back there, however, my friend Bob foretold the future.
___Bob was a pastor in Kentucky, and I was the editor of the Baptist newspaper there. I remember the exact moment when Bob described his life and prophesied how mine would change.
___We went for a walk during a meeting, and I apparently said something about enjoying the occasional night out with Jo.
___"I understand," he said. "But Jackie and I enjoy nothing more than going out to dinner with our children. Those are the very best times."
___I admired Bob and had been around him enough to respect him as a parent. His children were in late middle school and high school, and they were great kids. But Bob sounded almost absurd. How could carting the whole family to a diner be as great as a night out with my wife?
___"Just you wait," Bob said. "You'll see."
___And I have. Whiny little kids can grow up to be funny, engaging young adults. Tiny offspring, for all their cuteness and cuddliness, can be a challenge to patience and sanity, and then they grow up to be people you like, people you'd choose for friends even if you hadn't conceived, birthed, burped and wiped them.
___Our perfect weekend went like this: On Friday night, we all went out to eat and then hung out in the backyard--talking, laughing, telling tales of our lives. On Saturday, my brother and his family came over. We cooked burgers and made brownies and played with Martin and Valorie's kids, all considerably younger than Lindsay and Molly. Sunday was Sunday, of course, with worship and Bible study and fellowship with friends. But by Sunday night, we all arrived back home in time to get a good night's rest before the start of a new week.
___OK, so this life looks boring if you're not living it. But Bob was right. The best times bring parents and children together, just to laugh and tell stories and savor the moment.
___Such moments are numbered for all of us. And with Lindsay heading to college in a couple of weeks, we feel that reality palpably. But, thanking God for "perfect weekends," I know these are the good old days.
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
