Monday, March 15, 2010

Family Skate Night

Last night I went to the rink with 100 other people from our church for Family Skate Night. This is a once-a-year event, and a good fundraiser for youth ministries, so I was glad to go, even if neither of my daughters nor my wife would join me.

Did I say that I love to skate? Even though I was never a jock, hockey was my game growing up in Canada, and now that I'm in Maryland I'm usually one of the best skaters at events like this.

I put on my Canada hoody and my Montreal Canadiens baseball cap, and did my best to represent my nation well. They played contemporary Christian music, and we skated in a counter-clockwise circle the whole time. After awhile my left hip began to tire, but I pushed on gamely. Every now and then I would skate backwards for awhile -- that's sure to impress.

I visited briefly with several of the dads and realized that I was the oldest person there. So I was an oddity. The teenagers were interacting with one another, pairing up, tripling up, forming skating chains and so on. By the time I had skated about ninety minutes, I realized how much less enjoyable this was than it might have been had Connie or one of the girls been with me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I went, and my brief conversations were fine. But many things are supposed to be done with close friends or family.

How impoverished my life would be without the love of these persons who are dear to me, these dear ones whom I treasure.

I thank God for family, and for the life we share together. How thankful I am for our shared memories, our shared history. We were made for these relationships.

What about you? What events have you experienced that made you realize the importance of family?

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