November 11 – “A new goal … Bucking Bronco”

Stop the presses.  New headline coming … Chris went clothes shopping.  And why is that such a big deal?  Well, mainly because she hates it.  Never has liked it as long as I have known her.  Why?  Hey, who am I to question the wonders of my wife’s beautiful brain?  So …

Clothes shopping (in and of itself) … Strike one.

Not only that, the particular store she went to was a grand opening in Baybrook Mall. 

Mall.  Any mall … Strike two.

Not only that, it was a Saturday.  Busiest day of the shopping week. 

Saturday … Strike three.

However …

I didn’t have to go.  Instead I went to the bank and then to the store to pick up some fruit.  I worked on the sermon.  I even watched a little college football.  That’s good.

And Chris actually found something she liked enough to pull the string and buy.  That is an extremely rare occurrence.  That’s good, too.

And she ended up getting a free purse as part of the whole deal.  That’s good three.

Guess things evened out to a pretty good day.

Kel and his family came over in the evening so Chris could measure Kel.  She is going to hem up his big boy long pants mailman uniform.  He’s decided it’s too cold for shorts.  Yup.

While they were here I received a request that I sadly could not fulfill.  Noa wanted to play Bucking Bronco.  That’s a perverted version of the little “Ride the Horsie” game where the toddler sits on your foot and you bounce him up and down.  Except when DadDad plays, inevitably the horsie gets out of control and does its best to buck the rider.  I explained that my knee wouldn’t allow that right now.  Not to be deterred, she pressed, “Wait.  Is that for real, DadDad?  How are they gonna do that?”  Not easy to explain knee replacement surgery to a five-year-old, but I gave her the Reader’s Digest version.  She contemplated my answer for a moment or two.  Finally she queried, “So after you get a new one, can you play?”  You know what, Noa?  That will be my new goal.  Bucking Bronco.  Not to ride one … to be one. 

Psalms 112:9 says, “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.”

Father, thank you for goals to which to aspire.  Thanks more for the source of those goals.  Makes them more real.  Amen.