20 Mar 05 I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Reese and I have been walking back and forth from our house to my office at the church building a lot lately. I’m enjoying these walks for a very special reason. It happened again on our walk this afternoon as we were headed over there with my brother-in-law.

I’d like to say we were headed to a Bible study, a service project or some other spiritually enriching event – the truth is we were headed to play some ping-pong in the church annex! I’m sure if we gave it enough thought we could come up with some spiritual application points relating to the game of ping-pong.

It’s not a long walk, it’s not a hard walk and unless it’s raining, snowing, sleeting, hailing or 125 degrees and 99.9999% humidity it’s a rather enjoyable walk.

We started down the road and my son Reese (who is eight years old and would probably be greatly embarrassed if you mention this to him) reached up to grab my hand. He has done this every time, in the last couple of weeks, that we have made this walk. I can’t tell you how much it makes me smile, how glad I am to know that he trusts me to protect him and keep him safe. In this messed up world how I wish protecting him could be just as easy as holding his hand while walking to the office.

I’m fully aware that there will be a time (probably soon) when he will no longer reach out for my hand. Let’s face it – we’re probably not going to be walking hand in hand on the way to check out his new college dorm room! But for now I plan to enjoy each time as if it were the last.

It’s spring break for us this week and we have more out-of-town friends coming to visit us. Yes, the fun never stops here at the Wray Hotel – you’d better make your reservations for early summer! I’m sure we will have a busy week of sight-seeing, shopping, and who knows what else we can think to do.

I know one thing – I’m planning on taking some more walks.

Reader's Comments

1. Ebyboy | 20 Mar 2005 11:29 pm

   Ping Pong is as “spiritual” a game as one could play. You play facing your partner having the kind of fellowship that is enabled by eye contact and mutual competitiveness. Of course I am not biased by the my love of the game being an avid player myself. How can I?

   I too remember walks with my father. I am not sure there was any holding of hands (If there was I am not admiting it).

   Seriously though, it is perhaps because of this unfetteredness with affection and the sincerity it represents that children are the perfect models of spirituality. They grasp the simplicity of it. Their belief is not cluttered with doubt nor is it limited by anything contrived or complex. Reading this I find that there is much I can benefit from in emulating childhood’s simplicity of belief and unfettered and sincere showing of affection.

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