It's a Family Thing

What is the purpose of dating?  Well, I believe it's a time to make memories, and a time to share together, and most importantly it's a time to strengthen relationships.  So, with that in mind, does it always have to be just the two of you?

On Sunday, August 22, my family celebrated a difficult milestone.  It marked the one year mark for my dad going home to be with the Lord.  While we didn't want to celebrate our loss, we did want to honor his memory and celebrate his salvation.

We started our day by going (as a family) to the cemetery to pay our respects and remember my dad. We ended up walking all through the place reading stones and talking about the ones that really struck us. We soon realized how blessed we truly were, as many of the head stones revealed a sad tale of loss of children and spouses at an early age.

Next, we gathered under a large shade tree to have a family time of prayer. I started, then one by one, my children prayed and my sweet husband ended our time in God's presence.

At this point, my husband surprised the kids by taking us out bowling! It turns out our favorite bowling ally was having 25 cent games and hot dogs night! We had so much fun! We bowled until our hands hurt, and of course, ate hot dogs for dinner.

If you and your family need a fun date idea, then use this day as a model for relationship building. Even if you don't have a loved one buried nearby, try strolling through a local cemetery, just to remember and pay homage to those who have gone to rest before us. Ending your time in prayer is actually a peaceful way to close out your time there. Next, find a local sport to play as a family.

My prayer for you is this: That God will teach you how to build relationships and to treasure every moment together.

Psalms 144:4 "Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow."