Friday, May 02, 2008

Relocating

Our pastor is being relocated to a different church in June and we've known for two months or so, but hadn't talked much about it. We were eating dinner and I mentioned that I wanted to get Jesse dedicated before our current pastor leaves. Eli jumped right in and asked what we were talking about. Tim and I explained that our pastor was leaving but not until after Eli's birthday.

"That soon?"
"That makes me almost start to cry." And indeed his eyes were welling up.

"You can see him on Sunday and give him a hug and tell him you'll miss him." It hadn't occurred to me that our kids are getting big enough that these kinds of changes have an impact on them too. I was really only thinking of Tim and me.

"Okay. I'll give him a big daddy hug." (Apparently a "daddy hug" is a really big hug.)

At church on Sunday we made sure he had a chance to hug the pastor and both Eli and Noah gave him big hugs. Our pastor was touched and surprised. Our church is very friendly, but not necessarily a "huggy" church. By the time we were leaving our pastor had tears in his eyes too.

3 comments:

Jessica said...

How precious. You have some very thoughtful children!

Anonymous said...

What a thoughtful little guy he is!! Good for Eli and good for your pastor to experience how much he's loved.

Anonymous said...

"Hugging" by Abigail Van Buren
Hugging is healthy: It helps the body's immunity system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.
Hugging is all natural: It is or-
ganic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients and 100%
wholesome.
Hugging is practically perfect:
There are no movable parts, no batteries to wear out, no periodic check ups, low energy consumption, high energy yield, inflation proof, non-fattening, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements
theft proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and of course, fully
returnable.