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| March is usually the month of spring break. When I was a pastor I knew that one of two things were about to happen: There would be a special student event or families were about to scatter. Sometimes both happened. Schools were different in the pre-social revolution of the ’60’s when I was growing up. They did not worry about political correctness. We had “Easter break” back then. It would be Friday before and Monday after or maybe even a half week. We almost never got a whole week. Our son Nathan is getting two weeks off for spring break this month! He is my reason for writing.
As some of you know, June and I are later-in-life parents. While most people our age have grandchildren, we have a twelve year-old. [I thought this was a good story until I was with Sam Douglas, pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist in Greenville last month. He is fifty-two and his wife is having a baby.] There is nothing like having a kid in the house. I cut the TV on to watch the news and it always comes up the Cartoon Network. It was baseball tryouts and a basketball game all in one day last Saturday. We find notes from school about events that happen tomorrow although the notice was sent a week ago. Hamburgers, pizza, and junk food are regular fare. It would drive someone at Cooper Clinic crazy. How many questions can a kid ask? I never feel so stupid, unintelligent or ill-prepared as when some of the most profound questions roll off of my twelve-year old’s lips. And of course, don’t even think about beating him at a video game, I quit that a couple of years back. Now he is 5’6″ and 165. I don’t even want to wrestle him. Hunting and fishing had to be a recessive gene going back to an uncle or grandfather. I like fishing OK, but Nathan would just as soon stay out in the woods or on the lake all the time. How can a city boy have this attraction to something that makes you get up before daylight rambling around in foul weather? Even when we end up with nothing at the end of the day, he wants to go back. God blessed us with two wonderful daughters. We enjoyed them. But I wish I had known then what I know now. I would have enjoyed them growing up even more. June and I praise the Lord for the blessing those girls are to us. Well, this spring break I don’t know what we will do. It may not be a special trip, but we are going to “hang-out” with Nathan. You see one of the things we have learned, is that one day he will move on and spring break just won’t be what it is now. We trust that God will bless him and use him in the days ahead. Who knows, maybe in a few years we might have grandchildren to “hang-out” with during spring break. Take time to tell some family member you love them. Enjoy your spring break. |
