Baseball dads and priceless hugs
March 30th, 2006We pulled up to the Nashville airport terminal, and I opened the back door to give my 2-year-old son Daniel a good-bye hug.
I was outbound for Florida, where I would spend the next four days on my annual spring training jaunt pursuing stories for Baptist Press. My wife and son were headed for her parents’ house just north of Nashville for the week.
We had been talking with Daniel for a few days about what would soon transpire. Daniel and Mommy were going to drop Daddy off at the airport, where he would ride in an airplane to Florida. Daniel only seemed to care about his Papaw taking him bowling.
But when I opened the back door, told Daniel good-bye and stooped to give him a hug in his car seat, his bottom lip puckered up and began to quiver. He didn’t want me to leave. He fought back the tears, and I did too.
Read the rest of my column for the week here.
Great article, Tim! I occasionally wonder what it would be like to be an evangelist or Bible conference speaker instead of a pastor. Those thoughts do not last long for the same reasons you listed. There is something to be said for coming home almost every night of the year to my family. In my book, no amount of money can replace that.
Thanks for the Cardinals shirt, Dad
They get used to it some, but there’s always times when they REALLY don’t want you to go. I have a 5 year old boy and an almost 3 year old girl. I get used to it, but it’s hard to get over leaving them. I miss a lot.
-In evangelism for 16+ years and still hate to leave home.
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