Last Sunday night, after church, we had to go pick up the two sons of one of our homeschooling friends. They were about to move to a new house, and we were watching the boys for a couple of days while they made the big move. We were also getting their almost new dishwasher that they no longer needed. To do all this we had to take both of our small cars (at over $8.00 a gallon for gas, small cars are a good thing). I got to bring back the dishwasher and my 9-year-old daughter Bethany.

It was about a 45 minute drive from their house to ours, and we were able to have a great talk. She was asking me about different things; we were watching an incredible sunset together. As we talked, I had one of those moments when it suddenly hits you that your little child is growing up, becoming more articulate, developing into a thinker, and the conversation is on a different level than it has been in the past. When we were nearly home, she just reached over and took my hand and looked up with a heart-melting contented smile. I thought to myself, "This is one of those timeless moments that I will remember for the next 20 years." My heart was full to the brim just because I had been able to spend some quality time with my wonderful daughter.

The next morning, when I was writing in my journal, I stopped to consider how it must touch the heart of the Father when we are willing to stop all the madness of daily life and just talk with Him. We can easily relegate our understanding of God to ethereal visions of invisible vapours in the sky, and we forget that He loves us, longs for us, watches over our every coming and going. I think, in some way that I don't fully understand and certainly can't adequately describe, that when we take a moment just to "hold His hand" it brings pleasure to the heart of the Father. It made me want to be sure to set aside time for communion with Him whose love is greater than any earthly father's ever could be.