We have had quite a number of warm, fuzzy family moments lately.  Since all the classes, lessons, clubs, and activities have been suspended for the holidays, as well as the king's travels, I find myself caught up.  It's weird.  I scarcely recognized my family, so beautiful they look in the candlelight of a clean kitchen, wearing clean laundry that they did not find on the floor of the masterbedroom, or how fun they can be when chasing the baby around the den or collaborating to carry him around; one holding him by the legs, the other by the hands.  I had forgotten that cooking dinner can be a pleasant chore and the dishes really can get done right afterward.  I had no idea that teaching could be so incredibly pleasant, humorous, and effective done in a clean classroom, with only one big boy in it (or at least no baby boys...).

Much to my chagrin, starting this week, our activity level will pick back up again, baby nap schedules will be interrupted, laundry will be a scarce commodity and dinner will be a rush-rush affair and probably involve a whole grain tortilla and some cheese.  My dream of a wonderful, peaceful family life will be just that, once again.

But Middle Son, age 8, gave me this to cling to, the other night.  I'll set the scene for you.  It is after a nice dinner, and he was painting his rocket for Cub Scouts at the kitchen island.  Oldest Son is studying Spelling Bee words in the dining room, supervised by daddy with his laptop.  Baby is running in between.  I think I sat down in the den to catch my breath (read:  switched on "House Hunters" on HGTV!) and he turned to me and said:  "Mommy, I've been thinking."  "Oh," I said,  fully expecting a long list of  "I wantas" related to the new Nintendo DS.

He said, "If you add an 'O' to the word 'God,' you get the word "good." 

"Nice thinking!" I exclaim. 

"And," he went on to say, "If you take away the 'D' from Devil, you get the word 'evil.'" 

Wow!  I was taken aback,  to tell the truth.   But he wasn't finished. 

He said, "Isn't it interesting that you add something to 'God' to get 'good,' just like how God adds things to us?  And that you take away from 'Devil,' just like the devil takes away from us?"

'Nuff said.

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Posted by onfire

but that brought tears to my eyes at this particular moment.
and he is SO right. and so are you. I have discovered the same things you have these last couple of weeks, even though we started full school on Wednesday. figured if Neal had to go back to work, so should we.
now our car is dead, and I so wish I could just forget I am teaching lino and a Director and just continue the illusion.

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Posted by SmallWorld

WOW. that is pretty much all you need for the whole school year. Or maybe life.

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Posted by bestsister

That's amazing. I had just read this

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2008/2561_A_Birthday_Gift_to_My_Father_on_His_89th_Birthday/

before I read your son's brilliant revelation.

Who knew your son was on the same page as John Piper already?

I'm with Kristina... I welled up too. God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

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Posted by QueenoftheHill

"The devil never made a rain drip or a snow flake. He never made a baby smile or a nightingale sing. He never placed a golden sun in a western sky or filled the night with stars. Why? Because these things were not his to give. God is the creator and the possessor of them all and he lovingly shares these things with us." (The Greatest Menace to Modern Youth [Easley, SC: Piper’s Evangelistic Publications, 1980], pp. 38-39)

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Posted by joyunspeakable

i wanted to add how awesome I thought this was. It made for excellent dinner talk with my own four. What a son you have and what a Father we serve.

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