"Shut the Door!"

Jovey and Laney were sitting at the table last night as I was finishing up cooking dinner and getting it on the table. Laney, as usual, was babbling and screaming with glee at the thought of eating and Jovey was obviously annoyed (either at the volume or her lack of ability to get a word in edge wise, which is a rare occasion) as she sighed and rolled her eyes (I was mistaken that those two things came much later in this human developmental process!).

Jovey finally said, "Shut up, Laney" which is a phrase we don't allow around our house but has been uttered at least twice already this week. Joshua heard this, as did I, and he replied quickly saying, "Jovey, we NEVER say those words. They aren't nice and I don't want to hear them again. It doesn't make God happy and it doesn't make us happy! The only thing I ever want to hear with the word 'shut' is 'shut the door.'"

Jovey thought for a while and Laney continued her ranting of screams and babbles. Jovey then said quietly, "shut the door, Laney." Although Joshua and I almost broke out in loud laughter, we both kept straight faces saying that using the phrase, "shut the door" to Laney was the same thing as saying, "Shut up!" She smirked, told us all she was sorry and we began eating dinner.

A Resume For a Good Daddy. . .

. . . may include the following, as Jovey would claim riding home after celebrating her birthday a bit early at school, since next week, school is out for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Mommy, Daddy is a good daddy. . . he brought me princess cupcakes to school today!"

Jovey, I would have to agree. That sentiment along with hundreds of other notable thoughts, deeds and words do make your daddy extra "good"!

Friendship

Lately, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the word "friendship". I have been more than blessed to always have a few people that I consider my "true friends" and have looked at those relationships as true gifts from God. I have considered friends to be people I have at least one thing, if not several things, in common with as well as people who I can laugh with, cry with and be totally and insanely goofy with (and yes, I know that "with" is a preposition and not correct at the end of a sentence, but this is how I would tell you in person!). Friends have come to my rescue, especially these last few weeks. . . offering words of hope and encouragement through email, texts and facebook messages; greeting me at the finish line to hug and give me chocolate milk when my muscles were sore; watching my girlies so I could focus on much needed packing or much needed rest from illness; providing adult conversation during long days and weeks while my hubby drives through this school thing with two jobs on top of that.

Friends are necessities. God knew we needed friends. In the beginning, he looked at Adam and knew the animals weren't gonna cut it, so he made Eve. And ultimately, He sent His son Jesus, who didn't have to have friends, but made the choice to draw close to people because he desired relationship to make His stay on earth a bit more interesting and to model our need for the same thing. As precious as my friends continue to be in my life, when one fails, as we all do in our relationships, I always am reminded of Proverbs 18:24, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." That friend is Jesus and when I am tempted to place too much expectation on my earthly friends, I remind myself that friends are important, but Jesus is truth and will never fail or leave me.