Rich

My plan was to take Blake and William to a late morning movie at the Big theater for his birthday but when I called to confirm the arrangements I could hear in his little voice that he was less than excited about the idea. Well then. what would you like to do on your fourth birthday? There was silence...then I asked..would you like to ride the bus downtown and go have lunch...You could hear immediately that I had come up with a terrific idea. But can Catherine come too?...he asked as if that would be the topping on his birthday cake.

The bus would pick up at 11:00 and the moms brought them to my house and we were off...all four of us..yes Catherine was invited too! (Blake 4, William almost 3 and Catherine almost 2). The boys had been on the bus before but this was a new adventure for Catherine. She sat on my lap and stayed close while the boys had their pick of a different seat at each stop. We had done this before than there is a Whataburger in the Reliant Energy building and there is a great big escalator that is a field trip in itself...but as we were heading towards downtown...the sky seemed to be getting darker and darker...I had no umbrella and the thought of keeping three kids warm and dry was a little daunting. SO...
I figured out that we would get off on the first stop into downtown and eat at the Hard Rock Cafe...and then wing it from there. Yes they did walk out with matching Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts...and chocolate covered faces from the ice cream sundae...we could have called it day at that moment and everyone would have been pleased...Oh but the day had so much more to offer...

No one was around and those three were a total delight....as they played in the fountains, ran up stairs and around the upper crust of the pavilion. It had nothing to do with where we were or where we were going...it was all about who we were with.. and the kids were with each other, and I was with them.. and oh how we were blessed to be together. . This day was rich...not becasue of a bus ride or an adventure...but becasue it was spent with friends. Good friends....who viewed "fun" the same way you did.

We just don't make time enough to do that often enough. It is the simple pleasures that we have to carve into our schedules. I was going to say "carve out of" not "carve into"...but was immediately nudged to change my wording.
Now why was that I thought. And then it occurred to me that it is "what" we add
to add lives...and "who" we add to our lives that we either derive blessings or strife. And it those who add meaning to our lives and warmth to our hearts
who fill us with rich blessings. Sooo the next question is "who" have you carved into your life who making a rich difference in your life? We can quickly come up with a few names here and there...but was God on that list? Talking about a friend who makes life rich......and enhances the flavor of life itself in any situation...God is our true companion who outweighs even our best of earthly friends. For he is the master of simple pleasures...without needing a bunch of fluff.

1 Timothy 6:18
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

We crossed the street to head back to the bus stop on the next block, going through the Wortham Plaza...what is it about big open spaces that ignites the energy in children and causes them to laugh and just run in circles...and land, sitting exhausted, smack dab in the center ring of the courtyard. It is simple pleasures. When we got to the bus stop...the building where the huge cement
base (sp?) ( looks like a huge violin) is positioned accompanied by other cement figures....the kids immediately made a playground out of the small grassy area, including a big tree stump and a ledge that bordered it. And had a most wonderful time playing together, and chasing each other, and laughing..oh how they laughed.. as we waited for the bus to head back home...Simple pleasures. The adventure was complete...becasue of who we got to share it with. Sure the bus ride was fun and the destination walks....but really...those three could have had fun anywhere...it was all about the simple, rich, pleasure of being together...

Each day we have an opportunity to choose to embrace life and all of its trimmings...and we don't have to ever do it alone...we have a constant companion who shares in our adventures....delights in our curiosity, and relishes our attention. And that is our loving Father God. For he allows us freedom to discover new places....but more importantly God also has given us a freedom to experience his abounding love. He just wants us to include him in whatever it is we do and wherever it is that we go...he too wants to be invited to share in our adventures....and when we do invite him...we will find that he can take even the simplest of pleasures and make them grand.

Simple pleasures are are just that....pleasures that don't cost much...that are within reach....and that God are planted before us....for us to enjoy. We just have to slow down long enough to absorb them. But too many times it is not what you are doing or where you are going but who you are with that holds the greatest rich pleasure of all. I have a little plaque that is positioned in my entry that reads...Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or even what you are...RICH IS WHO YOU HAVE BESIDE YOU.

We had a day filled to the top with blessings...it was a celebration of Blake's fourth birthday but also a celebration of life itself and our awesome God who we are honored to serve. For you see...simple pleasures..begin with HIm...and it is on his blessings that we buid memories.

Dear Lord...Let us have eyes to see you in everything that is around us...and
help us to count our simple pleasues as true blessings. Amen

Praise God wherever you are or whatever situation he has allowed you to be in...for His glory will shine through.

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