Two Impressive Things

1. It was early in the reunion, and Uncle John was talking smack, saying
that the old guys could take the young in a game of basketball,
challenging us. So, as happens in pick-up basketball, there soon was a
group of milling, aspiring basketball players dribbling and shooting and
talking. Before too long, the beginnings of a three-on-three tussle
between generations began to form. Lines were being drawn, and the game
was about to get underway, when Laura--John's wife--came out and told him
that she was busy doing something, but that their daughter needed
attention. Immediately, with no second thought, John took himself out of
the game and took his little daughter in his arms. "You'll have to get
someone else to play for me, I've got to tend to my daughter." That man
is a good father.

2. It is amazing how much you can interact with people and not talk about
THE relationship. The Smucker cousins are sort of like that. We're all
from Christian families, and for whatever reason the cousins don't just
sit around and talk about what God means to us, at least not very often.

The six oldest male cousins were headquartered in one room, and I needed
to go in there to get some stuff. I opened the door and there he was,
one of my cousins, on his knees, head bowed. After he was finished, I
asked him how it was going, and he said "Good, at least I'm working at
making it better."

There's nothing like spending quality time alone with God, and I am so
encouraged that he actively realizes and pursues that.