Monday, July 12, 2010

30-Day Trek: Joy is not in things, it is in us

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” – Isaiah 55:1-5

We do believe relationships are more valuable than things. That is a conviction to spend more time with the people we love and less time focusing on things.

I appreciate the way my husband takes time to develop special traditions and rituals with our girls. We call it “Daddy time.”  I mentioned before that he takes prayer walks with our oldest daughter Meilani almost every morning.  When he changes our Giada’s diaper he always takes time to sing, tickle her and do little leg exercises so she will be strong. In the car, they sing this silly Veggie Tales song called “Water Buffalo” and dance like goons.

One of my goals as a stay-at-home mama is to support my husband in his work and make our kids part of what daddy does. For example, when Ericlee coaches track and field I try to bring the girls along to track meets and make it an exciting family event. Sure, it takes a lot of extra effort to pack lunches and dinners to go, to work around naps and ensure we have all the proper supplies for watching an all-day track meet in the sun. We are always rewarded by the sense of love it brings to daddy and the chance the girls get to interact with the fans, the athletes and their parents.

Ericlee and I brainstormed a list of “relationship-building” activities we want to make more time to do. We’d love to hear your suggestions too.

Here are a few:
-Ride bikes as a family.
-Read books at least 15 minutes a day with our girls.
-Take time to write a letter or actually call a friend to encourage them instead of just relying on e-mail/texting/facebook.
-Get down on the floor and play with the girls. Enter into their world.
-Invite our neighbors to dinner.
-Train for another marathon together.
-Make cooking a family/friend event.

Am I able to spend the time I need to build special relationships with the people I love? What would I need to do to make more time?

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