Lions at the zoo

We have been so busy as a family lately that it has often felt like ships passing in the night. Between Scouts (both Girl and Cub), AWANA, MOPs, ministry board meetings, discipleship and counseling meetings, school activities, Karen's childcare business, and general work responsibilities for me, there hasn't been a whole ton of time to just relax and enjoy being a family. So today, after I got back from the men's breakfast and workday at church, we all took off for the zoo.

A couple things struck me as we did this. Number one, I wish I had Nathan's zest for life and joy at all times. He literally ran through almost the entire zoo, punctuating the air with exclamations: "Dad, did you see that!" "Mom! Come look at this! Isn't that amazing?" And when you think about it, God's creatures really are pretty amazing. To me, none is more so than the lion, which truly is the king of beasts. Number two, I was reminded that it is through time together that families and relationships are built. No time = no relationship. I know that's hardly profound, but the crush of good activities can tend to obscure the basics.

After the zoo, we took long naps, watched Butler whip Penn, and an episode of Lie to Me, read stories with the boys, prayed together, and tucked everyone off to sleep. Then I went to work finishing up a sermon and getting caught up on a long-neglected blog. But now it's 1:00 a.m., the coffee is wearing off, and it's time for bed so I can rise and worship tomorrow. I am excited to see what tomorrow brings.