Spring Break

Looking out the living room window this morning I am thrilled knowing the boys are on Spring Break. We do not have to hurry off to early morning practices. We do not have to fill our days with hurried activities. Though Brenda still has to work, the boys and I get to enjoy some time together.

Turner wants to go inside a Barnes and Noble bookstore and a Half Price Books. The boys want to go to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville. They also want to go to the two dollar movie in Denton. I just want to enjoy some time with them before I go out of town for a preaching trip at the end of the week.

One day far too soon there will be no more Spring Breaks in our home. The boys will be grown and out of the house. Brenda and I will left here alone. I will not look down and see Turner's shoes left in the living room from the night before. I will not find wrappers and glasses left on the table from the boys snacking. I have loved and enjoyed our four boys. I have sought to give them my life and that means also giving them my time.

I always have projects that need my attention. I have a church to plant. Books to write. People to win to Christ. Activities to plan. Money to raise. This week all that gets pushed on the back burner as I devote my energies and time to the boys. One day they will not be here. I want to take full advantage of the time I have with them over Spring Break.

These are precious days for me. Taylor is sixteen and looking more like a man every day. Tanner is fourteen and extremely witty. Tucker is twelve but is driven like a person twice that age. Turner is about to be nine and still loves to sit in my lap and hold my hand when we walk somewhere. The memories I have built with them in the past and will build this week are priceless. I do not take any of my sons for granted. I have been counseled by countless other parents to enjoy them while I can. This week I heed their advice.

So on this Spring Break I am making time with them a priority. I want to give them my undivided attention. Each day I want to enjoy time with them and to build memories that will last for a lifetime. I want them to look back on these days with fondness. As they grow and discover God's plan for their lives I want them to look forward to coming back home for visits and not to dread them like many children do.

I want them to anticipate with great excitement coming home with their spouses and children. I want them to walk into our home and relive countless memories bringing laughter. So while I have the chance and still have them at home, I plan to take full advantage of Spring Break. I will start this morning by cooking them breakfast. As long as I am together with the boys it does not matter much what we do. God, thank you for Spring Break.