How Could I Possibly Forget?

These past few weeks have been filled with days of extreme workloads.  Beth, Angie, Chauncey, Susan and many other leaders from PCC will - if pressed - admit to working far beyond what we should.  Honestly, I hear almost no complaining.  We LOVE what we do.  Where else could we get to make the kind of difference we make?  People's lives are being radically changed in the most positive and incredible ways.  Eternity itself is being altered.  Families are being healed.

But can I tell you about my favorite three moments in the past 2 weeks?

The first was a movie I went to see.  (What made it great had nothing to do with the movie.)  It was a Friday.  Susan and I had spent precious little time together in the previous weeks. It's just been one of those seasons.  So, we went to dinner at Carrabbas - which was so good - and we get to the theater, get some popcorn and find our seats.  It was crowded.  People were on both sides of us.  As the lights dimmed, I took my right hand and reached for her left hand and held it.

Two and a half hours later, I was still holding her hand.  We had never let go of each other.  I remember thinking about that a few times, "I wonder if she will keep holding my hand for the whole movie."  I hoped that she would.  Having been so far apart for so long, that small gesture just meant so much.

The second was the concert.  I blogged about it, but we when we went to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, we were 'alone' in a crowd.  I was able to snuggle up next to her, we drove downtown together, it felt special.  Though we spent a ton of time together this past summer, it seems like an eternity ago since we came back on September 4.  Getting to go out on a special date together now really is...well...special.  And rare.

The third was last night at Blue Christmas.  Since Angie Frame was the Teaching Pastor, I decided to be the chief greeter and be sure that anyone who came to the service a little late was warmly welcomed and  received a candle.  For a few minutes, I was by myself.  But Susan wasn't needed for childcare upstairs, so she was able to come to the service.  So, we were surprised with a very rare opportunity to attend a service and serve together at the same time.  As people came, I would greet them with the basket of candles and she would open the door to the auditorium.  In between, we sat on stools and watched on the big screen, worshiping together as Beth and Angie and Eli led us towards God.  We never do that together anymore.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the excitement of what God is doing at our church that I forget what God has done in my home and in my marriage.  The greatest human gift He gave me was in the one who held my hand, sat next to me in a coliseum and served grieving people with me last night.  She's the love of my life and my very best friend, and she makes the best of my life's moments.

How could I possibly forget?