moonlight walk

Thursday.  Its miserable cold.  The wind has been blowing and the snow covers our ground.  The kids get home from school and play inside with their friends.  Games of Star Wars, Level up, and wrestling.

After everyone heads home, I start dinner.  As I'm getting everything on the table ready to call the kids to the table, I stop and think about my alternatives.  We could sit down and have dinner like we do every night or we could do something different.....something where we will have an adventure and spend time together.  Something out of the ordinary....I start to get excited thinking about it.

My mind starts working.  What could we do?  Something outside.  The stars, the snow covered walks, the cold crisp air.  I run to the garage....grab the flashlights and tell the boys we are going on an adventure.  I hand them each flashlight.  Bridger jumps off the floor, starting to wonder what is going on.

I go and get all the winter gear.  Snow pants, gloves, hats, coats.  The boys start to whine.  They don't want to go.  "It's to cold" they say.  I hold my head high and tell them that we are going, no negotiation.  They know that I am serious and relent to the "torture".  Bridger sees the coats and starts running around the living room...chasing his tail.  He feels the same way about this adventure....excitement.  Excitement on a cold winter day that is not going to be ORDINARY.

30 minutes later, we are suited up and ready for our moonlight walk.

It's a beautiful night.  As I pull the wagon with the little boys...Gabe rides along side me on his bike. 

We start talking.  Talking about school.  He tells me stories and we laugh.  This is what I was longing for.  A time with my boys when we could share our souls...get out of the mundane and spend time together that we will remember.  As we walk around the lake, we are alone.  We have the whole lake to ourselves.  I let Bridger off the leash and watch him run ahead of us.  Gabe opens up to me and I cherish every moment.  We talk about questions he keeps buried inside....he asks me "Mom, how do you know the bible is true".  As we debate and talk about our faith, I just pray that I answer his questions in a way that is pleasing to God.  Just when I'm starting to feel inadequate, our conversation changes to lighter subjects...Gabe tells me a story about his friend at school named Jay.  He tells me that they get in trouble together and he calls him "the best guy ever".  We laugh about his funny friend and then he says "Mom, I love you".  "Love you to" I reply.  My heart fills with joy.

As we are talking the little boys are having a grand time in the wagon behind us.  They are screaming "flash light".  But, it comes out like "bud light" because Eli can't quite pronounce it.  They scream the word and laugh and then scream it louder.  Soon, Owen starts screaming "butt light" because this is way funnier and all three boys are laughing.  I just smile holding back my urge to tell them to be quiet.  I let them scream.  I even decide to join in because screaming "butt light" for no apparent reason is pretty funny when you think about it.

When we get home, we are cold, tired, and content.  I tell the boys to sit down to dinner.  Now, we are hungry....and ready to start doing the ordinary.  My joy is full.