Making Memories! It’s a concept that my wife has taught me over the years. Times when you do things together that will create a bonding never to be forgotten. The gift of time and mutual experience. – Gordon MacDonald from When Men Think Private Thoughts
This morning when I dropped my son off at school, Miss Wendy, his teacher, quickly asked: Did you watch fireworks last night?
The Kool Kiddo responded: ‘Yeah! Me and my Daddy — we sat on the roof of our van and watched them boom in the sky.’
I expected: ‘Yes, my favorites were the stars and the green ones that made the big booms.’ (That’s what he mentioned to us last night as he was excited, yet tired, and wanting to doze off in the back seat as we drove home.)
But instead, he mentioned sitting on the roof of the car with his dad.
Interesting.
…Do not be paralyzed with the suspicion that all memories have to be expensive… It is not the place or the expanse of time; it is the quality of the time that is spent. That is never forgotten. – Gordon MacDonald from When Men Think Private Thoughts
The scene was Alabama, the park, Point Mallard, and the hot air balloons were set to take to the skies.
But there was wind. Still, ten of them were filling with air and flames. We were excited and took lots of pictures.
As they extended to full size, the wind knocked them (sometimes violently) into one another. In the end, the flights were canceled, but the night will be one that our family remembers for years. We haven’t seen five, let alone ten, hot air balloons fill up a park like that before. And we intend to go again next year – and hopefully see more!
As a man grows older and his private thoughts move closer to the subject of legacy, there will be a time to regret or a time to smile. It will depend on the memories he has stored up. And if the memories are there, so will be the cheer and the courage another generation will badly need. - Gordon MacDonald from When Men Think Private Thoughts
My beautiful wife™ and I talk of an evening sitting on the deck overlooking Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans. We were talking to a young dating couple – headed toward marriage, but feeling the pressure to have sex. He and I had walked away to the other side of the patio, while the girls sat at the table and chatted it up.
Our younger friends talked of feeling the pressure to have sex before marriage, and we encouraged them to wait. We related our story about having had sex before marriage – and that we, looking backwards, would have waited.
Of course, we didn’t know that we had had similar conversations until we were driving home and we started talking about our wonderful evening with friends, good food and our evening chats. Even though they were separate, they were similar.
It’s a story that still amazes, delights, and bonds us together.
What memories are you creating together as a couple? As a family?
photo from kennysarmy
