date time...

Cute right?

She was my date today.

Sarah, also known as 'bird' for short or 'goonie bird' if you want to use the full nickname.  It started with calling her a 'goon' 'cause she was crazy from day one.  Seriously, the most eccentric, cool, hilarious, weird, lovely child from three months on.

Crazy like a goon.  A gooney bird.

"Goonie Bird" that's her name.

My bird.

We went on a date today.  She'd been at art class and Daddy picked her up in the 'sports car' and we went for cheeseburgers at Wendy's followed by a trip to the dollar store for pink sunglasses, some band aids for a cut that had been bothering her and some bazooka gum.

Then we drove to the marina, got ice cream and went for a walk by the boats in the sun.  She didn't let go of my hand for two hours.

That's about as good as it gets.

This is my simple reminder that, in the midst of the high-pressure careers we endure (church planting and producing for me, _______________ for you) the things that really matter are the simple ones.

For me it's always been loving Jesus, loving my wife and babies, then loving myself and my work.  That's the value system my parents taught me.  It worked for them.  They're almost 40 years married and still love each other and have three kids who're happily married and have given them ten grandkids and my folks still do what they love to do, have no plans to retire but still get to drive their twin Harleys all over creation when they're not in their TR6 or off in Africa caring for tens of thousands of orphans and widows in AIDS stricken communities or producing TV shows or preaching.

It's a good life.

And a simple one.

My hope is that we don't miss the beautiful things.

Like dates with daughters.

T