I had precious, stolen time for lunch today with my oldest son.  He and I went to a favorite Asian eatery and enjoyed our time together so much.  He has his driver’s permit, a deep voice and is taller than me.  He is growing up before my eyes.  Some people often remind others to enjoy their children wihle they are young.  That’s never been a problem for me.  Not that parenting is always enjoyable, but I learned as a teen myself how short and fragile life is.  I appreciate every day, every moment, with my family and thank God for them.

Lunch was winding down, and I asked for the check.  When she brought it, my son stealthfully surprised the server with payment.  He doesn’t have much money, but what he has worked for – he wanted to spend on me.  He said, I tried to pull out my wallet underneath the table so you wouldn’t see it.  I offered him a heartfelt thank you several times.

He paid the tab and handed me my fortune cookie.

As we walked out arm-in-arm, he opened the door for me as a blast of glorious summer heat swept over me.  However, as warm as it was outside, my heart was warmer with gratitude for having such a great guy as a son -and a wonderful daughter and another super son as well, of course ;).  We walked to the car, keys in his hand, and he opened my car door.  I looked at him and said, Lunch was good, but it tastes even better being treated by you.  He replied, Lunch was good, but it even tastes better treating you.

I love that boy.

Life doesn’t require lots of extravagant spending and doing.  It merely asks of our time and attention.  Our children do, too.

Think about a way to spend some quality time with those closest to you.  A small investment yields a huge return. 🙂