This week my wife’s Mom (lovingly known as “Nana”) decided that all the girls were going to DisneyWorld - thankful Kasey and the girls could go have some fun together. Thanks Nana. This was to leave me home alone with my 3.5 year old son Thomas all week. So instead of chillin at home all week we went to visit my Mom (lovingly known as “Mimi”) who lives just outside of Memphis.
Thomas and I have had quite the adventure going through TSA screenings together and struggling with the answer “why do we have to take off our shoes.” Usually I just tell my kids the clear truth about everything when they ask “why” questions but “because some people might put combustable or explosive materials inside their Nikes to blow up a plane” just didn’t feel like the right answer this time. So I reverted to “because Daddy is taking off his shoes too” and we moved on. We had a great time in Memphis and have fought light saber battles, transformed little toy trucks about a million times and have laughed quite a bit and discussed life and God on a 3 year old level.
I have prayed our man words over him at night (courage, truth, valor) and he has enjoyed the time almost as much as I have. Yes, it is a bit of a challenge juggling a three year old and yes my preparation for Sunday (sermon, notes, slides) has been a bit interesting this week. Yet overall, I am thankful for taking a little vacation time to spend with my boy and go see family.
As Thomas is shaped into a little man over the next ten years or so I do pray that I always take the time to read with him, answer his questions, transform his toys for him and model biblical, servant oriented masculinity with him. We always talk about how he and I are knights…knights of the old code. Praying this week that our lives would be spent well serving Christ and being on the wall for other people.
Last night we went to Pizza Hut and both confessed that we “missed the girls.” Yes, we miss the rest of the Monaghan home team, but I have been thankful for the time spent with little Tommy Reid. A couple more days of courage, truth and valor before the fam reunites on Saturday evening. The wisdom literature of the Bible teach us that the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Whether Tommy ends up wise will be seen in time; today though…I am indeed glad in him.