More than a meal - it was memories

On Thursday nights my wife and I put on a restaurant of sorts in our dining room.  The name of the restaurant is called 'Happenings'!

I chose the name and it stands for the place where good things are happening; where love is happening; where kindness and appreciation is happening; where young ladies are made to feel special is happening; and where fathers are behaving like fathers is happening.

On Thursday we bring out the good dishes and the silver ware.  We set up nice napkins, most of the time, and have the girls seated at the table.  After everyone is seated we have "Happenings'.  I serve them as both their cook and waiter.  The food is never the main dish, the real main dish is the memories.

Well, this week, 1/19/2011, we had one of the best 'Happenings' in months.  The girls all sat at the table and we had homemade subs, wedges, corn and something sweet to drink.  As they ate Sydney suggested a round of complimenting each other.  For the next twenty minutes the compliments and praise were flowing.  "I like the way you dance", said one.  "I like the way you do our hair", said another.  "I like it when we play together", said one of the younger girls.  The sound of the girls laughing, praising each other and most importantly not arguing was great.  It was wonderful to hear.

After the compliments stopped flowing, the jokes started.  The girls laughed about trips to Disney, times at real restaurants where 3 yr old Sydney made us nearly fall out in laughter.  They reminisced on summers spent in Georgetown, and our recent trip to Alabama.  They laughed about granddaddy falling asleep watching TV and waking up as soon as they changed the channel.  We talked about the many funny things we have done and how many funny stories we can each tell about the other.  Like the trip to the aquarium where Sydney played with a penguin and Paige played with a cookie.  We looked through our mental scrapbooks of the trip to the beach and Grandma's birthday party.  Trish and I laughed and nearly cried thinking about college, our early years of marriage and when the girls were very young.  Even little Ms. Ava tried to get in on the jokes and stories.

You know, this was more than a meal.  It was more than a dinner.  It was truly 'Happenings', a place where memories, laughter and joy are always happening!  I love the moments where you realize that it is all worth it.  I pray that I can hang on to this moment.