Quality time is found in the unexpected moments of life.
It's not defined by the hour,
but simply by our devotion one to another.
but simply by our devotion one to another.
~ Time-Warp Wife
The old saying goes: if a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how much does a pound of butter weigh?
And we've all come to learn that the answer is simple--a pound of butter will always be a pound, no more and no less.
So it is with time. An hour is an hour regardless of which way we slice it. Some days it flies by and other days the minutes drag on, but nevertheless we're given 24 hours each and every day to spend as we wish.
Some say that "quality" time trumps "quantity" time, but does it really? Does taking your kid to a ball game add more to his life than working in the garage together might? Would taking your daughter to the ballet enrich her life anymore than making dinner, setting the table and washing dishes together could? Anyway you spend it, one hour is still just an hour. The quality of that time is dependent upon our devotion one to the other.
It's important--in fact it's vital--that we spend quality time with our children, but quality time can never take the place of quantity. Here are two very good reasons for this:
- Children need both.
- Quality time develops when you least expect it.
Nearly every night Dad would tell us stories from his past, he'd sing a few songs, and he'd always make us laugh. Nothing was planned, it just fell into place because he was ready and willing to spend "time" with his daughters.
As for me and my kids, some of the greatest moments we share are simply driving in the car. Last year I was driving across town almost every night to pick up my oldest son from work. One particular evening I marveled at how beautiful the tangerine sunset was. You can't buy spectacular moments like that. They happen when you least expect them.
Little did I know that my kids would treasure that time and look forward to it again this summer. In fact they asked me if we could continue the summer night drives, and we did.
Who knew that something so simple would mean the world to them?
We never know what will click or what memories will strike a chord in their heart, but we can be sure of one thing--time is time regardless of which way we slice it.
There are 1,440 minutes in each day. Spend them wisely. Spend them well.
You are loved by an almighty God,
Visit Time-Warp Wife on facebook: Click here
If you would like to have Time-Warp Wife delivered to your inbox daily, simply click here: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife
Check out my book, The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role as a Help Meet
Join Us for a Titus 2sday Link-Up Party!
Today and every Tuesday, I want to invite bloggers to link-up any blog posts that will encourage women to joyfully live out their roles as wives and keepers of their homes I'm looking for posts on marriage, parenting, housekeeping, recipes, etc.
All you have to do is enter the direct link from your post into the linky tool below!
I'd also like to ask you to link back here with the Titus 2sday code (below) so that other bloggers can join in too!
Visit Time-Warp Wife on facebook: Click here
If you would like to have Time-Warp Wife delivered to your inbox daily, simply click here: Subscribe to Time-Warp Wife
Check out my book, The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role as a Help Meet
A great reminder. My kids (at 8 and 10), love to hear the same ridiculous stories of funny times their dad startled me early on in our marriage... they will ask for specific stories and then laugh as though they had never heard the story before. Quantity is good, quality is better! :) Thanks for the link-up!
ReplyDeleteThat was beautiful, Darlene! When I was a little girl my father had a very bad temper, which he would lose very easily. So when he was home my mom sent us outside as much as she could, given the weather. When we had to be inside we had to tiptoe and whisper, which we sometimes forgot because we were kids. But we tried very hard to remember or we'd get beat with the belt, which was never fun, lol!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, my dad wasn't home very much, but when he was he never spent much time with us. And he never attended any of our events or anything. But when I was around 16 or so, my dad changed. He became more happy and light hearted and his temper became much more rare. He attended any events or sports that we were involved with and cheered and was so proud of us, win or lose.
As a consequence, he was able to repair the relationships he had with his children. Our time together began to have more quality AND quantity and I was no longer afraid of my own father.
He became a loving father and grandfather. He's been gone for many years now and I can say that I do love and miss him, and am so glad for those memories that I have of him now! Thanks so much for hosting today.
Your post immediately brought to mind, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps. 90:12). We are here but a short time. A beautiful reminder this morning to use my time to serve Him, serve my family & serve others.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Tues.!
Joanne
I cherish the quality time I had with my Dad. He worked hard to provide for our family. He couldn't be there for most of our school activities, but he was always there to support us in getting ready for them. And Mom was always there to drive us and cheer us on. Most times it was the drives home or the playing catch in the yard I have the best memories of. So important when you are young. Great reminder.
ReplyDeleteLove the quote today! Beautiful! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
ReplyDeleteLove this: "The quality of that time is dependent upon our devotion one to the other" - there is much blessing to be found in sharing a tangerine sunset - even in the car picking someone up from work. If we can't find the blessing in the daily - how can we truly find Him?! What a beautiful start to my day:) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting! Have a great week!
ReplyDelete-Mackenzie @ Cheerios and Lattes
Such a great reminder to spend our time wisely, simply being with our kids and giving them our full attention speaks volumes to them. Thanks for such a good post. And thank you for the link up.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this. It's such a great reminder. One evening, my little 2 year old son was fighting for my attention while I was in the kitchen cooking. I decided to let him "wash some dishes" while I cooked. Now, he always pulls up a chair to the sink when he sees that I'm cooking. I didn't think that one little decision to distract him would be something he always looked forward to. Making memories!
ReplyDeleteAlicia
An important reminder for us all! Thanks for hosting, as well.
ReplyDelete