You know what, friends, making plans would be a whole lot easier if we were to knew the outcome beforehand! Imagine how amazing trips would be if we were to know exactly how the weather would progress or if the travel arrangements would work out. Imagine if we could know exactly everything that was going to go wrong, and then we could make the necessary adjustments. We could predict flight delays, traffic jams, rainouts, hotel mistakes, restaurant waits, and much, much more! Every day would be preplanned, rehearsed, and play out exactly as we would want it to. It would be paradise, right?
Maybe...not so much. This past week, I had the opportunitytorenewthewedding vows of a couple who had been an important part of my ministry. The ceremony was taking place at the Aquarium Restaurant in Kemah, Texas. I decided, instead of going by myself, I would take my four-year-old daughter Shiloh along and plan some fun activities for the two of us! I had it all planned out, a day at the beach, ice cream, train rides, a harbor and dolphin tour, plus much more! When we first arrived in Kemah, we checked into the hotel on the Boardwalk. She immediately wanted to ride the little park train that ran around the entire campus, so we made our way to the ticket booth. The train had just left, and there wasn’t another ride scheduled for an hour! So, we decided to go to the beach and have dinner in Galveston. We pulled into Target to get some beach stuff, and by the time we had all our items and made our way to the exit, there was a tropical downpour deluge roaring outside. So...we had to put the beach on hold. This became a recurring theme of the trip. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, I planned for our time together had to be adjusted or changed due to weather or other issues.
The following day, I sat parked on the seawall in Galveston. Once again, watching as the rain poured down on the beach, we were supposed to be searching for shells and splashing in the waves. I called my wife in desperation, claiming, “Everything I’ve planned has just fallen apart!” I whined about the weather and about my preplanned schedule being disrupted. My wife, Andrea, in her truest wisdom, reminded me that it wasn’t about the events or the schedule; it was about the time with my daughter. “Just go have fun and find new things to do!” Andrea said, “She won’t remember the mistakes, she will remember having fun with her daddy!” From that point on, it simply became an adventure with Dad!
