From a couple of blocks away John could see his house. The lights were inviting. Even from this distance he could imagine the pleasant smells coming from the kitchen. Home was safe. It was a place of rest and acceptance. He pushed the button on the garage door opener and pulled into the garage. He took a deep breath of relief to have made it home as the events of the day swirled in his head. With his eyes closed he again thanked God for getting him home safely.
Gathering his gear, he heard rustling coming from the far side of the garage. Already a bit on edge, he put the gear back down. The thought came to him to shut the garage door so that he could catch the would-be thief, before he could get away. Casually John pushed the button and grabbed his hiking stick that was sitting in the corner of the garage. So much for a relaxing night at home he thought. Methodically and smoothly he moved around the van on the other side of the garage. What he saw made his tension go away. There before his wary eyes appeared his beloved daughter. Annie giggled as only a ten year old daughter can. As much as with relief as with love, he hugged her and they headed toward the house.
She raced ahead of him and made the announcement, “Daddy’s home!” John set his gear down by the door and moved to Corrina in her apron. She lit up when he walked in the room. He was again reminded that she was indeed a beautiful woman. His look must have betrayed his thoughts. With his arms around her, he gave her a full on the mouth kiss. He then heard the moaning from all three of his kids. “Don’t you guys ever get enough?” John thought about that only a moment before he said, “Not really.”
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The kitchen really was filled with the smell of joy. John was ready to eat, and it looked like dinner was ready. He shared stories from the Shelter, heard about the day each of the kids had experienced and there was laughter and interesting questions. Finishing up the last bite, John asked, “Whose dish night is it anyway?”
Silence filled the room. Suddenly fingers were pointing in every direction. “I’ll take care of the dishes.” John stated as he reached his hand out to Corrina. A slight gleam entered her eyes and he twinkled back at her as she stood to her feet. John showed her to the living room, and motioned for her to sit. He then took charge of the kitchen.
As he removed the dishes from the table, he pointed to his youngest, “So how’s your room look?” Ricky looked at him and studied his face for a moment trying to decide if dad would be checking on his answer. After a moment without a word, Ricky headed off to his room to clean it up. John again smiled.
He then looked to Alex, “Hit the showers and when I’m done here I’ll beat you in Stratego again.” Alex punched John on the arm. “Keep dreaming, Dad.” Alex was only eight but was already showing signs of a master strategist. His brain worked very fast and he liked to build things. John reflected in that moment of the massive Lego construction projects that Alex had made over the years.
He was incredibly proud of all his kids; but for vastly different reasons. They all offered him opportunities to laugh, cry, get mad and get motivated. But they each had their own gifts, personalities and behaviors that offered him a challenge on a daily basis.
Ricky liked to create as well, but his work was mostly two dimensional. He liked tape and paper. Oh, let’s not forget the staples and post-it notes! John had learned how to discover what the latest creation was by simply asking Ricky to tell him about what it did or where he got the idea. Ricky was all too happy to share what was going on in his head. Since Ricky was the youngest, John had to protect him by giving him an opportunity to talk. It seemed that his brother and sister were always talking for him.
Ricky was also very slow in accepting the faith of his family. He would go to church and Sunday School but did not like the idea of anyone living in his heart. It was only a few months ago that he asked Corrina to pray with him for Jesus to live in his heart. Corrina had cried and John had nearly exploded with joy; but the seed of faith had been planted in his heart.
Now Annie, as the oldest, was determined to be a missionary and rescue girls who were living as slaves. She was currently interested in doing rescue work in India
Just a short time later Annie was sitting on the love seat reading, Ricky now finished with the chore of tidying his room, was lining up his cars around the living room rug and Alex was setting up his pieces for the game. Corrina looked around the room and smiled. Conversations were coming and going about nothing in particular. Sometimes the kids would talk about some movie that they had seen once and John would shake his head at how they could remember such small details but never remember to keep their room clean. It was just another quiet evening at home, John felt warm, safe and secure. The kids were happy.
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