Have you reflected on times in your life when you were Wowed? Last week, I shared how doing daily things we enjoy is often taken for granted. It’s a Wow when we wake up each morning. Throw in being able to hop out of bed, walk to a bathroom with running water and tons of toiletries, step into a shower or tub where warm water refreshes your body, choose what you’ll wear from a closet filled with clothes and shoes, dress yourself, grab ‘to go’ food from a packed pantry, walk to your vehicle and drive yourself to wherever you will spend your day…and you know God’s blessings have Wowed you.

Starting the day without thanking the Giver of all things saddens Him. God is good to His children and loves to be wowed! Having a hard time digesting this? Are you good to your children — giving, loving, doing, helping, protecting, providing, and doing whatever you can to guide them to happiness and prosperity? When children love and obey, respect and honor, appreciate and take time to stay closely connected, parents’ hearts are warmed and wowed. Yet, when packed schedules of children who mean well but don’t take time for family visits and keeping relationships alive and well takes precedence, fathers and mothers feel forgotten and unappreciated. Being straightforward with children can be difficult. Some parents pretend it doesn’t bother them and continue giving and doing for the precious children God blessed them with. Others take time to explain and example the importance of ties to family, friends, and most of all our heavenly Father. Communicating honestly and praying together are great tools for keeping loved ones closely connected.

Parents enjoy spending quality time with their children, just as God does. Extra effort awards should be given to children who show honor to parents and to God. When God is ‘Wowed,’ parents and children are blessed. When honor and obedience for one another and the Lord is upheld, families find time to do things together in addition to getting their day’s work done. If you are reading this and have failed to keep your heavenly Father and family penciled in first on your schedule, make adjustments now and they will be wowed! Do not wait until you can work it in or it may never happen. Sit down with your immediate family and decide on things that can be pruned to enable growth and guidance toward the Son and time for family fun. Relationships will flourish and faith will be fueled when communication and respect are upheld. There’s nothing greater than going through life on a full tank with Jesus at the wheel. That’s a wonderful Wow!

God gives opportunities at every turn to foster relationships and enjoy the good life He gives. He desires to see families and friends working and playing together with a central Christian focus. He is sad when he is watching His children work and worry without taking time for life’s greatest treasures: good relationships with Father and family. It only takes a little planning and practice to keep a balance with busy schedules and put the Lord and loved ones back in place where precious memories are made daily.

Lately, I have enjoyed making memories at Royal Lane Park watching ballgames and cheering for my grandson, Connor. Monday nights when all my children were picked up from The Learning Station, I would head for the ballpark. My son, Cameron, accepted responsibility for coaching his son’s team, the B-Mets. Therefore, my maternal pride, enthusiasm, and attendance never waned. Unexpected victories and surprising defeats kept parents and grandparents clapping and cheering throughout the season. Watching children trying desperately to make home runs, stop grounders, catch fly balls, and make their parents happy reminded me of life. We try our best and wow our Lord and loved ones when we achieve and share the good times with them.

When games ended, children headed for snacks and pep talks while family and friends shared fellowship. Connor’s Nana felt led to extend the fellowship by inviting our relatives and close friends to my house for a home-cooked meal. My dining room came alive after ball games. I was wowed when each chair was filled with special people who have stood by me through sunshine and rain. Each week, we gathered together to recap highlights of baseball games, fill plates with good food, give thanks to our heavenly Father, enjoy sitting around the table with loved ones laughing and talking, and make memories that time could not erase. When cleanup duty finally started, the fellowship moved to the kitchen. Some cleaned, while others laughed, talked, and solved the problems of the world. I was in awe of how much fun we had standing and sharing the ‘good stuff’ in my kitchen.

Planning and preparing meals was my pleasure. Working and enjoying life with God first is my priority. The good stuff comes when we realize the simple things in life are precious and priceless. My dining room hasn’t had so much laughter and love filling it up in quite a while. Sometimes, we allow sorrow and sadness to silence the joy that comes when we allow God to help us move forward. It takes effort to make things happen, but it becomes easy when we get in gear and just ‘do it’!

My brother emailed me after one of our Monday night games and gatherings. He said the time we shared around the table was good and reminded him of how things used to be. He thanked me for taking time to cook and keep us connected. Now, that’s a wow I cherish.

When was the last time you opened your heart and home to fun and fellowship? Why not invited some family and friends over and let the good times roll. Next week, I promise to finish the Wow story!