A Walk In The Night

Tonight was an interesting experience. I usually walk my dog Kipper late at night and listen to podcasts of various rabbis and mentors I consider important and required reading for my life. I walk around the golf course to the beginning of the third hole and then turn back around. Its normally about a 35 minute walk.

Tonight I was sitting at the table and wanting to spend some time with my kids. I mentioned the idea of taking Kipper for a walk and they all shouted, "Yeah!" It was a date.

We bundled up and headed out the door, everyone's eyes peering out from their parkas. Folsom is cold in the winter because it is so close to the Sierras. We brought a flashlight and a light saber for light. It was fun.

We walked around the course and looked at the stars, prentended to dance on the light and sang songs. My children seemed to bring a sense of clarity about me. They seemed to show me that I was a a pivotal force in their life. It was just me and my kids, and it was great.

On the way back, my daughter saw the divot repair bottles that were close to the tees. She grabbed one and my first instinct was to tell her to put it back. I stopped and let her look at it, and explained what it was for. They were all curious. As we walked back towards the house we stopped by the tee box and I noticed the divots on the grass. My daughter asked if she could fill them.

There are moments when things seem to come together and this is one of them. I told them all to grab a bottle and they bolted back to the stand grabbing one as though they were getting candy. We spent the next ten minutes filling the divots the golfers had left behind. They were filled with joy, and for such a simple little thing.

On the way back we had an absolutely amazing conversation about how we are made by God to love other people. This was just one way we could help. I explained how we weren't doing it for us but for other people. What was amazing was that they didn't care. They liked the idea of serving other people.

I walked home with a smile on my face. Something had happened and I was a part of it. It was one of those moments that the truth had shown its face to me and I was there to see it.

I walked away convinced that within each of us there is the capacity and design to love. I saw it in my kids. Not just one of them, but all three of them. All I had to do was show them the way.