I was up ready for the day this morning. I'm still catching up from a busy day here at work, I am thankful for that. I got a good nights sleep last night after hitting the hay at 8:15 or so. Thats really early for me but after giving a double at the Red Cross here on campus - I was pretty much exhausted and not feeling well. Maybe a little dehydrated to some degree. I always sign up for doing the double, regardless if I have time or not and knowing I usually don't feel too good afterwards. I do it because it helps a cancer patient somewhere and if my uneasy and not feeling so great will help them feel better or give them more time in this life - then I am doing it. I always think of my mom when those opportunities come and its such a pleasing joyous heart that moves me to doing so.
Yesterday I spoke a little about Respect and Love as 2 very important core values in our families. Today I want to speak a little further with Time and Meal Time.
I find it a little funny that my son who is almost a teenager thought mealtime was worth a core value. He eats like nonstop and is not wrestling tonight on his team because he didnt make weight. If you saw him, he is pretty much built like I was when I was his age. I have to say though I was more ripped than he is. Hey its my blog I can say that if I want to. But Kyle is pretty skinny and him being overweight is odd for sure. But he does eat and eat and then eat some more.
I want to start with Time - as it is our most important commodity today. I can remember back my dad wanting to stop and get a Pepsi at a local convenience store and him walking in and saying $1.50 for that! I am not paying that..... and me saying, Dad, who cares I don't have time to waste, just get it and lets go. The generation before mine was more concerned with money and my generation is more concerned about time. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in our days to get everything done sometimes. We can always make more money but we can't make more time. As I look into the family, I can see where time is such an important issue or obstacle. With families running everywhere, soccer, baseball, wrestling, parents with 2nd jobs or 3rd jobs, traveling softball on Saturday and Sundays -the family as well as church seems to fall way down on our list. Many folks work 50-60 hours at the office each week and we get home and put something down to fill our tummies and who has enough energy or time to spend with the family? Who has time to sit with your daughter or son to find out what is going on in life. Who has time to take out your wife on a date when you are exhausted when you get home? Just sitting in front of the tube is about all some of us can muster. Time is such an important part of our relationships. It speaks volumes to others when they have your time and attention. I know that for some of my close kids, I ask them to turn their cell phones off unless its family calling because its rude to be taking time out of my day to invest in them and them texting the entire time talking to their friends. You either have me or you don't.
I am a firm believer that if you keep people waiting - you really speak volumes to how important you think they are to you. I got that from my mom and I am hardly ever late for things regardless of how busy I am. You are a priority! Nobody really know how much you know until they know how much you care. Time is very much a part of that and no texting, emailing or facebook can replace that time ingredient in our relationships.
Mealtime - what a wonderful concept that has been lost today. With families running and parents working different shifts - meal times are mostly left for the weekends. Fast food and pizza and microwaves have killed off many of our family meal times. I can remember when I was dating Carol, her family ate together every single night. I got to see the purpose and power of family during this time. It was a time to share, talk and really stay connected with each other. How else do you do that if you are not sharing a meal? I'm just asking? My parents worked separate shifts so as one came home, the other was walking out to work. Our family meal times were weekends and holidays.
Carol and I have made our family meal times a priority. They are such a priority that we often have others with us during this time. It brings value to their families as well as many of them don't have this as a core value in their family.
Often times our small group gets together to just eat, to just hang out, to celebrate a birthday, to watch a movie together. Time invested in each other is the only way to do life together, to know and love on each other as well as sharing God together. We make each other a priority.
I have to say that probably the normal household with teenagers have multiple tv's in the home. Parents watch what they are watching probably in the living rooms and the kids are watching their stuff in the bedrooms. This just brings isolation and if you want to stay connected to your son or daughter - either remove the tv or have a rule where they can't watch tv in their room until a certain time. I enjoy the family time all of us together. Sad knowing that some families facebook and text each other when they are sitting in the room right next to theirs.

Time and Mealtime - invest in these things and make them a priority. It makes me tear up seeing a movie today where a family holds hands and prays before they eat together. This past week at a local favorite place to eat - I did something I had never done before. As the Waiter was standing there giving us our food - I said to him that I was about to bless the food and if he would stay with us. He did and I blessed the food and thanked him for his services and for a great meal we were about to have. I patted him on the arm and thanked him afterwards. He had a big smile on his face and maybe... just maybe a new perspective on things. We just never know how we may touch a heart when we do bold things like that.
Core values ..... more tomorrow and may these things I am sharing be a blessing to you and your family.

~Lonnie