I love being a dad. Spending time with my children is the highlight of my day.
On Groundhog Day, we created two very special moments. One was a time honored tradition, and the other was a LOST moment.
Tag Your "IT"
For the past 12 years, we have gathered on the front lawn as a family to play Groundhog Tag on Groundhog Day. Some of you may know it as Freeze Tag. One person is "IT" and they run around and try to tag everyone else. If you are tagged, you must freeze. The only way you can become unfrozen is to have one of the other players crawl through the space between your legs and the ground.
We have a lot of fun playing this game together. I don't know of many 17, 15 and 13 year old boys who are willing to play tag on the front lawn with their Mom and Dad and their 9, 5, and 3 year old sisters. They played and had fun. The older the boys get, the harder it is for them to make it through the legs, and it is very hard for anybody to fit through the little one's legs.
I am thankful for this tradition and for the time we spend together doing it. Before long they will all be gone, but we will always be able to look out the front window at the lawn and remember being "IT".
Final Season of Lost
Later in the evening we all gathered around the TV to watch the Season Premiere of Lost. The start time was well after bed time for half of the family and the end time was far beyond the bed time of all of the rest of us. We stayed together for the whole show, even though we knew we could watch it on the internet the next day.
The suspense nearly killed us, but we stuck with it. The girls fell asleep and the boys complained about the many commercial breaks. I enjoyed the breaks, because they gave us time to talk about what we were watching and what we thought would happen next. We definitely got lost in the moment.
Taking Time Out For Family
Life is hectic, I know and feel that personally. I have come to understand that the most meaningful moments come from taking time out to be with the family. The concerns of the day will wait, and they will always be there. Our children will not wait, and they will not always be there. We must remember to pause and be with them, learn from them and love them.
I am aware that many of you reading do not have kids, but you do have a family. Family relationships are very important and you must do your best to nurture the intimate relationships that you do enjoy.
What are you doing to develop your family relationships?
How can you make the moments more memorable?
How do you want your family to remember you?
From my office, I am watching the sun go down. As it slips behind the rocky slopes of our desert hills, I get a visual reminder of how quickly the moments pass. Be present. You will never look back and say, "I wish I was gone more."
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