This weekend I had the incredible privilege of watching my son play. My parents are in town visiting and we went to Tyler to TX to visit Tom and Diann Brown. Dad was in the Navy with Tom and he and mom have been great friends with Tom and Diann ever since. I don’t remember this, but when I was young (4 I think) Mom and Dad brought me down to Tyler to visit with the Browns and dad bought me my first pair of cowboy boots (I say first, because I had many, until I met Triann) Anyhow we were able to repeat the tradition when Dad took Daniel shopping in Tyler this weekend and bought him his first pair of boots. That was cool. I have no idea what my boots looked like but Daniels are brown leather bottoms with camouflage uppers and a John Deere logo. He spent all Saturday stomping around in them until we finally took them off to put him to bed. Emily also got a pair of boots on Saturday, hers were pink with a zipper all the way down the side and stars that light up when she pushes down on them, absolutely perfect for her.

On Sunday, Triann got Daniel dressed in a pair of jeans, a blue flannel shirt and of course his new boots. Tom and Diann’s daughter and son in law (Brook and Chris) live in Tyler also and came over that morning with their two kids Daniel 6 and Abby 7. Emily and Abby immediately set off to dress undress and redress the dolls, while big Daniel and Little Daniel headed outside to play.

Now I want to break down the difference between 2 different types of play, city play and country play. City play is either at a playground or in a back yard, playing on swings or kicking balls in the grass while parents worry about cars and weirdo’s. Country play involves exploring trees and sheds and jumping in leaf piles, playing with barn cats and walking with sticks. I think that the country play is more natural and that is what I was able to watch this weekend.

I set the rules, don’t go down the hill, don’t go out on the road and don’t poke the dog. With these rules in place and a good cup of coffee in my hand I set him free to explore. Big Daniel and Little Daniel spent hours out there, throwing leaves in the air, pretending they were driving the tractor, petting picking up and then carrying the cat (see Triann’s blog for pictures of this patient creature) and discovering how fun it was to carry a stick and the cool noise it makes when you whip it through the air. I didn’t go outside to interfere, not because I didn’t want to play with my son, but because I saw the value of this time to play and explore with a new friend.

At the end of the day, as the sun started to set big Daniel and little Daniel reluctantly came into the house to warm up. All the leaves had been moved, all the adventures had been had and there wasn’t room in their clothes or hair for any more dirt. I welcomed my Daniel into the house with a hug and told him how much fun it was to watch him and how proud I was of him. He smiled and ran off into the living room to play with big Daniel and when I went there in a few minutes to check on him he was asleep on the foot stool.

As I reflect on this I realize as much fun as I had this weekend listening to Dad’s stories, visiting with everyone and eating some incredible food, the highlight of my weekend was watching my son play the way I remember playing… with a few rules and a lot of freedom.

I can’t help but compare that to my spiritual life. Is it that different? God gives us a few rules and then stands back and watches us as we play, allowing us to explore and make choices on our own. Waiting patiently until the sun goes down and he can welcome us into the house with a hug and tell us how much fun it was to watch us and how proud he is of us.

I thank God daily for my children and how much they have helped me understand more about our Fathers love for us.

Eric