Weekend to Remember

March 16, 2008 | Filed Under Communication, Community, Conflict Resolution, Daily Life, Engaged Couples 

Sometimes, I am overcome by spontaneous laughter - an eruption of joy springs forth from the belly of my soul. It comes from a moment when life suddenly makes sense or from a subtle reminder I am loved or from a simple thought that God is good. And this weekend, I was given many more reasons to smile at life. Heather and I went to the Family Life marriage conference, Weekend to Remember. It was held at the 4 diamond Hilton Hotel next to the Quest Center so the lobby was filled with hundreds of Bruce Springsteen fans the first night (the guest speakers even met a few of the E Street Band members on a trolley ride).

The event was a wonderful and healing time for us. Mostly because it gave us tools and space to talk about a few small weeds that have crept into our relationship. Without which, I don’t think we would of noticed. It also gave us an inspiring vision for parenthood. Greg Speck, a speaker Heather saw years ago in Spain when she was a kid, brought me to tears when he talked about the good man his father was and the kind of father he has now become.

He used to always put the kids to bed and for the first few years he was annoyed because they wouldn’t stop asking him questions. He always wanted to rush through it so he could spend time with his wife. But something clicked one day and he realized he was missing out on a great opportunity to really get to know his children. For the little ones, he crawled into bed with them and started asking them questions like, “If you were an animal what kind would you be?” or “If you could get anything at Toys ‘R’ Us right now, what would it be?” and even deeper questions like, “Is there anything you wish Dad wouldn’t do?” For the older ones, he sat on the edge of the bed or grabbed a chair and talked about how they were feeling about various things in their life. During these interactions, rich moments were shared throughout the years, and his children never doubted they were loved. Wow - I want to be the kind of man my children could freely trust with their hearts.

The best part is that we could share this experience - a couple of our friends and clients came too!

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