It was a chance to spend time together, just the 2 of us.
No children.
Breakfast would be included.
We thought of it as a date, kind of.
It wasn’t terribly romantic. There were LOTS of other people around. My sweetie was tired, and the chairs were hard and too close together. With my new diet I couldn’t even share breakfast with my husband.
But we still considered it a “date”.
We were actually attending a Pastor’s Gathering Appreciation Breakfast put together by the Clergy Care Network branch of Focus on the Family.
A room full of pastors, ministers, parachurch workers, and a few pastor’s wives, too.
BUT WE WERE TOGETHER!
I cherish those times:
– when we can laugh together, even if it’s just over the new IKEA radio ad we heard on the way to the breakfast.
– when our conversations aren’t interrupted by 10 thousand cries of “Mom…” from the backseat.
– when the focus of the time is to be enriched and encouraged.
– when we connect with other like-minded people who are all experiencing the same kinds of things we are in our lives and ministry.
One part of the morning in particular spoke to us as a pastoral couple, husband and wife. We heard from a very inspiring pastor whose life has been turned upside down with tragedy this last year. He spoke of, among other things, having no regrets looking back at his years with his wife before she passed away in a terrible accident that also took his mother’s life.
If that was all that we heard together that day (and it most definitely was not all we heard), it was worth it. We were both encouraged at where we are in our relationship right now as well as inspired to always strive to protect our marriage.
That was almost romantic! And it was certainly a wake up call and a reminder that life is so short.
It was also good for ME to remember that with the demands of a pastor’s family, any time we can steal away for ourselves is time well spent.
I dressed well and fixed my hair and make-up carefully – and my sweetie was proud to have me with him among his ‘colleagues’, especially since all the spouses had been invited to the event but very few were actually in attendnce. They must not have considered that it could be a date.
But, it really was a date – just a very ‘pastoral’ date this time.
Not all of them are this much fun! Just kidding!! 😉
