Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Verse of the Day and a few more weekend thoughts

"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3:3-4 (ESV)

I thought after a trip to Rochester in 1997 that Jim reminded me of one of the wise men from Proverbs who was enjoying favor and good success in the sight of God. That impression has never really changed and then God added to the blessing with a Godly women whose worth is far more than rubies. I know they're not perfect nor without trials but I'm deeply honored to be their friend.

Quote of the Day:
"Come on, Dad, let's read scripture." Evan Kluth
Thinking about the boys I was going to say how nice it was to be the visitor and just be able to enjoy them because I wasn't really responsible for them. Mostly I could just play with them and let their parents worry about discipline. That's true, and if it made the weekend more tiring in any way, I'm sorry. But then I got to thinking about other families I've known where it's not so uniformly a pleasure to visit them because of the tense and unhappy dynamics or the behavior of the kids or the parents. That's not necessarily an exact quote although Evan definitely said something like it in a pleading or urging tone of voice Saturday night while Jim's parents were over. Jim pointed out that I don't get to see Evan's heart in a short visit or the depth of his thoughtfulness. That's true as he's busy showing off for his daddy's big friend from far away, but I get to see a little and I think his excitement about reading the Bible with his dad is part of it. Evan told me I should move closer so I can visit more. He also said Saturday that maybe I should be his dad since I'm bigger than Jim and would be able to protect him better but he really loves his daddy. I liked watching how Aidan was sure he could do anything Evan could do and how he would frown and whine, "I don't like them" about his sandles or something else he had decided he didn't like even if he hadn't seem to have a problem with it a few hours ago. I liked watching Evan and Aidan play together when it was clearly something that Aidan wanted to do and didn't seem that interesting for Evan like the game where one would scream VBS and then the other would. I liked watching Toby throw his cup on the floor and then say, "Pease." and when you asked what he wanted he'd say, "Cup-cup." Or watching him giggle when Tara would flick him on the cheek to punish him for screaming at the table. Did I mention it was a fun weekend?

4 comments:

Jenn-Jenn, the Mother Hen said...

Sounds to me like "Daddy Elephant" was an entirely apt nickname for you on this weekend. And no, that isn't because you're bigger than Jim. Your ruminations sound very Daddy-like...Kids can nestle in your heart before you know it, can't they?

(piqto - sounds like Becca's C.J. has been on here!)

ann said...

Yay. Everett did not dissappoint with the bringing of the cute baby stories. I said "awwww" more times than I can count while reading these three (3!) blog entries. I'm so glad you had a good time, and I'm so glad you have such great friends. OO! And I'm so glad it's wednesday!! I won't stand you up!

Tara said...

So glad you had such a good time! :) Hey, I have a blog now Bubba.

Anonymous said...

If you read carefully at the beginning of the entry, you'll see that my wife is plural, which explains a lot.

Evan and I planted a marigold last night in a white pot, and it became Evan's marigold. It was amazing how quickly he responded to ownership of that flower. He placed it carefully by his pumpkin patch and watered it. I have no doubt that that marigold will be the best-cared-for flower in our yard. It makes me think about the idea of husbandry and how God uses men to direct and lead their families for His glory and the family's good.