father daughter

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It Was The Longest Walk Of My Life

A couple of weeks ago I made the longest walk of my life, even though I didn’t break any distance records making it.

It was the longest walk of my life

It was still a long walk.

It was a walk that had greater meaning than pretty much any other walk I have ever taken.

… I remember after having a heart attack eight years ago, I went for walks with my wife, Lily. Those were important walks because I needed to exercise my heart without putting undue stress on it. During those walks I had to keep reminding Lily to slow down. She was always trying to pick up the pace.

When I play golf, I still like to stretch my legs on the golf course rather than ride in a cart. There is something about walking that is more meditative and relaxing. When you walk the course you take in more of the beauty and grandeur of the nature around you.

I’ve taken walks that were hurried because I needed to get somewhere fast and couldn’t run. 

And there were walks that have been filled with stress, knowing that at the end of my steps I had to do something or say something that was important.

But this walk – this longest walk – was longer and different than any of those other walks. 

I walked my daughter, Karlie, down the aisle of my church for her wedding. 

It was just a couple of weeks ago, and I think I’ve finally recovered. 

The walk itself started in the gym of the church and went through the foyer to the threshold of the sanctuary and then down the rows of pews to the front … where a young man and a pastor waited with smiling faces.

But that walk represented all the times I paced in our home, trying to rock my baby girl to sleep, and the walk with her in my arms as we quickly rushed to the hospital. 

That walk echoed the times I attended her plays and events, walked up and down a soccer field, walked into her public school, high school and university graduations.

As we made that march towards the altar, it was like this little baby in a bassinet grew with every stride to become this beautiful bride standing next to me at the end of our walk.

Our path to the front was filled with memories that have taken almost thirty-one years to walk. 

Mind you, I had to whisper, “slow down” to Karlie a few times. She takes after her mother in her walking. 

Even still, the walk back up the aisle at the end of the service was much quicker. It was a hurried walk as if to say, “let’s get going with the rest of our lives”. 

I’m convinced they make that father-daughter walk down the aisle extra slow so that at least the father can gather up all those years and treasure them in the moments before the biggest event of his daughter’s life … moments that this father will treasure forever.

Here’s the thing: There are many times when I want to rush through my time with God. I’d like to get on with my day. There are things that I need to attend to. I have pressures, interests and concerns that hurry my soul and urge me to keep it light and brief with the Lord. But God is like that father walking his daughter down the aisle, whispering, “Slow down. I have much to treasure and share with you. Let’s walk a little longer.”

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What causes you to hurry your devotional time with God? Leave your comments and questions below.

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When Déjà Vu Goes The Opposite Way

Déjà vu – we’ve heard the phrase. Many of us would say we’ve experienced it before. Well, I just experienced the opposite of déjà vu. 

When Deja Vu goes the opposite way

The word “déjà vu” is a French word meaning “seen before”. It’s when you feel like you’ve in some way already lived through what you are experiencing.

The opposite of this is called “jamais vu”. It’s also a French word, but it means “never seen”. It’s the feeling or experience you have when you recognize or know a situation, but it still seems very unfamiliar or unknown.

I’m using this definition loosely, but that’s what I just experienced last night at my niece’s wedding. 

Everything had gone well … the ceremony, the pictures, the spring roll h’or d’oeuvres which were really delicious and hit the spot before dinner. The speeches were meaningful, funny, touching and not too long. The food was delicious. 

Then it came time for the first dance. 

The bride and groom had picked a particular number to dance to and they had worked out some planned moves during the song. 

When that first dance was over, it was time for the bride to dance with her father. 

This is where I experienced jamais vu. 

Watching my brother on the dance floor dancing with his daughter was something I recognized. But with my daughter’s wedding coming up in about four months, it was also very unfamiliar and unknown. 

I watched John move around the dance floor, trying to detect if he had any special skills or moves that I might have to learn for when it was my turn. 

Nope. Nothing.

There was no pre-rehearsed number where he ended up doing the splits or the whole wedding party joined in sync with their choreography. 

There was none of that.

There was just John and Angela moving around the dance floor together, to a familiar song by a member of the rock group, Genesis.

That could have been significant because John loved Genesis and Phil Colins’ drumming. 

It had been suggested that John stop dancing part way through the song and play a drum solo while the song continued. However, this particular song didn’t have a drum solo … and John never sat down behind a drum kit. 

So though I don’t know what to expect when it’s my turn to do the father daughter dance, I now have an example of one that I could pull off without any practice … as long as my daughter doesn’t get any big ideas, or watch too many Youtube videos of father daughter dances. 

I do have one excuse and that is my knee. It’s still been giving me trouble and, unless I wear my brace, I think I may have to roam around the dance floor with my daughter much like my brother did with his daughter. 

… And that will give him deja vu.

Here’s the thing: We can read about heaven in the Bible. There are some passages that even give us a glimpse of what it will be like. The Lord tells us about His presence in heaven, but when we get there, to us it will be jamais vu “never seen”. We may recognize aspects of heaven but it will seem unfamiliar, unknown … but amazing!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you experienced that seems unfamiliar or unknown to you? Leave your questions and comments below.