Grayson shows me how to appreciate adventure again

I sit here in an airport .  I’m looking around at al the different age groups, styles, cultures and the common thing i see in all of them is that they are all processing something.  Processing will i make my flight? Did i remember everything? Do i want to stand in this long long for Starbucks? The list goes on and on.  I’m reminded that we all have similar thoughts.  The thought of, “should i go to the bathroom before we board?” - this is something many of us wonder.  I type on my iPad Pro; my safe place.  The place to escape for everything around me.  You’ll find me waiting at gate 5 with the iPad Pro and my Beats Pros in my ears.  Listening to music that varies from my “Untitled Playlist” to my “Peace” playlist.  These things all bring me to a place of comfort and calmness…at least for a moment.  This all leads me to a recent backpack adventure with Grayson.

A couple of months ago i told Shannon that Grayson and I needed an guys weekend…. A weekend of adventure… a weekend he would remember for years to come and one that he would compare to.  I had been traveling a lot for work this summer so i knew i wanted him to experience what i had been doing.  I finally said, “if i don’t do it now, I’ll never have time to do it.” - so..i got online, booked us a flight, rented a car (Camaro Convertible) and secure housing with Nana.  I told him about the adventure we were about to take and we started preparing.  He knew we would be flying on a plane; which he hadn’t done since he was a baby, and that we would be going to the beach.  He had no idea the adventure that lied in store.

The morning comes for us to leave and our flight wasn’t until the afternoon.  Grayson went to school and when i picked him up to go to the airport, he screamed with excited; “is it time…is now the time that we go on our adventure?”.  I said, “yeah, buddy…now is the time for the adventure!”  We got his things and headed to the airport.  We went through security and boarded the plane.  Something you should know is that i always sit on the aisle seat.  It’s a thing for me and just makes me feel better.  This adventure would be different.  That day i sat in the middle seat (we were flying Southwest) and Grayson would have the window seat.  To see the joy and excitement light up in him as we took off on our adventure, i knew that this was one of those moments in life that was priceless. I wanted to breath this moment in and never forget that look on his face.  We arrived in Tampa, FL and headed to the rental car place.  He rode the train that in his mind was like the subway.  He would get tired so he rode on my suitcase (Thank you, Samsonite for making a beast of a carryon) to the rental facility.  We get the car and he receives his surprise; the car that daddy had before he was born; the black Camaro (upgraded to convertible).  He was so excited to be able to share this with daddy.  He loved every moment of being in that car; until the sun was too bright and hot and wanted to top put back on :). His adventure was more than he could have thought.  For me, it was moments in time we would never forget.  The weekend allowed us to experience time in Nana’s pool, time with the other grandkids, time in a kayak, time at the beach and a time just being free.  …time being free.  At his age, the stresses he has are thankfully minimal.  In these moments during the weekend though, he was free.  He was able to just escape with his father and hold strong in the fact that his father loved him enough to stop what was going on in life to just be present with him.  For me, it was a backpack adventure that changed me.  After that weekend, i looked at him differently.  I saw the unconditional love he has for me and how he longed for more time with me.  Honestly, since that trip, he has wanted to be with me at every moment.  I love being his dad.

Here is where this story leads.  I preface this with the understanding that I’m not a person these days that shares about God or what He has done in my life.  I think much of it has to do with not feeling adequate or worthy.  That said, there was a moment on the trip that i was struck by Gods presence.  I could see him and feel him in a way that i hadn’t in as long as i can remember. I saw God in the various parts of the adventure but mostly i saw Him in my son.  I saw His spirit in my son.  You see, God wants us to feel free in Him.  God wants us to be secure in knowing that His love is unconditional.  So whether you are in a kayak, sitting on the beach, riding a suitcase in the airport or just sitting in an airport waiting on a flight, He is there and is loving you unconditionally. He is on this adventure called life with you.  Enjoy the moments to escape.  Take them as often as you can.  Remember to find the peace and comfort in the small things.  Remember you are not alone and continue to experience those backpack adventures…i know i will…i know Grayson will.