CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON -- The moral of the story

“God loves each one of us, as if there was only one of us.” -- Augustine

Two weeks ago my husband, Jon, and I received a cute e-mail from our

youngest daughter, Amy, asking us to come for a weekend visit at her

college.

I talked to Jon at work, and he was disappointed that the weekend she

suggested would not work for him, nor would the following one.

“I can’t go that long without seeing the girls,” Jon said. I agreed.

Then Jon asked, “What if we just go?”

“What do you mean just go?”

“I mean, let’s go today.”

I didn’t think I understood him correctly, so to clarify, I asked,

“Today?”

“That’s what I mean, what do you have going on today?”

“I have a dentist appointment in an hour and a lot I need to do, but I’ll

call you when I get home,” I answered.

As I hung up, I stared at the many pictures of Kelly and Amy on the

kitchen counter and realized how much I missed them. I am not a

spontaneous person, but I would do anything to see my daughters.At the

dentist’s office, I told Nancy, the hygienist, about Jon’s suggestion.

She is a friend, she knows our girls and she is a mother, as well.

“Of course, you have to go,” she said. I agreed. So while she went to

work on my teeth, I went to work on my mental to-do list. I prayed that

God would help us take care of the details.

I decided I could accomplish all the necessities in just several hours.

Everything else could wait.

Jon pulled into the driveway just as I did. He must have known what my

decision would be. He too had plenty to do, but he too would do anything

to see our daughters. He also narrowed down his essentials to just a few

hours.

Jon and I worked at Mach 1 speed and then hit the road.

We totally forgot about the miles and traffic the moment we hugged Kelly

and Amy. We loved every minute together. We took them out for a nice

dinner, and they told us what they’d learned in classes, what they’d

learned outside class and what God had been teaching them.

Then we took them back to campus. Their evenings were just winding up as

our’s was winding down.The next morning we had breakfast in Kelly’s

sorority house, where we sat and talk for hours. Then we took Amy out to

lunch and we walked and talked for hours.

We headed back to campus because both girls had work they had to do. We

sat together at a picnic table in the shade and worked. It was so

satisfying just to be near them.Then Jon and I had to head home.

The next morning I looked at those same precious pictures on the kitchen

counter and smiled. I was so thankful for every moment we’d spent

together.

I realized that God, too, loves every moment he can spend with us, his

children. He certainly has proved that he would do anything to be with

us. He’s just waiting for us to ask.

And you can quote me on that.----

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7

cindy@onthegrow.comf7 or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140 No. 505,

Newport Beach 92658.