and it's a hole-in-one!

Two weeks ago we had our 4th annual Family Reunion at our usual place up near the Dells in central Wisconsin. This was the best one yet. For a few hours we had the whole family together but for most of 4 days it was Ethan and his parents and Bill and me.

Despite the forecast at the beginning of that week, the weather was beautiful so we got to do hiking every day; Ethan did LOTS of “harvesting” and collecting with each one in the family. We went to the indoor water park several times and we took advantage of the new and improved miniature golf course.

Since it was November, and threatening rain, and just a bit windy, we ended up with the mini-golf course all to ourselves. That meant we could take our time and “golf” at our own pace.

Ethan was eager to begin and barely waiting for Daddy’s instructions, hit the ball on Hole One. It landed too far from the cup so, as he has done since he was eighteen months old, he picked up his ball and moved it closer to the cup and then shoved it in using his golf club like a croquet mallet.

John decided this was a good time to teach Ethan a few of the finer points of mini-golf and some of the rules of golfing with a group. Being only 5, Ethan was a bit impatient with his father’s instructions and wanted to just get on with the game. But John was incredibly patient and gently instructed Ethan on how to hold his golf club to get the most accuracy from his hit. John also patiently reminded Ethan that he couldn’t just pick the ball up and move it, nor could he dribble it down the green like a soccer ball (he had played soccer most of the summer).

When Ethan seemed to be at the end of his patience and beginning to be too frustrated, John relaxed and let him dribble the ball into the cup. John achieved a wonderful balance of instruction and insistence on following the rules with letting Ethan be the little kid that he really is.

Much to our mutual surprise and delight, Ethan quickly developed a surprising accuracy, especially with his first whack of the ball. Inevitably his ball went right through the hazard, or over the moguls; he avoided the “water hazards” and the “sand traps”. In fact, he hit a Hole-In-One on about the 6th or 7th hole. We were astounded and Ethan was overjoyed. Suddenly miniature golf was more fun than he thought.

Eventually we each had a hole-in-one (John had two). By the time we finished the (most difficult of them all) eighteenth hole, Ethan insisted that we “high-five” each other after running around the green.

By now the wind had really picked up and rain was spitting on the parking lot as we walked back to the car. But none of us minded; we had an inner glow that kept us warm.

Bill and I feel ever blessed to have the family God has given us. Our family retreats are a great joy to us. We rejoice that our girls want to spend this time with us and are willing to sacrifice their schedules to participate. It is ever a delight that our grandson crows with joy at the thought of going to “the cabin” again. And how can we even begin to explain to others the delight we find in our son-in-law. He and Becki have worked out a wonderful relationship in the midst of their stress-filled world. As the stay-at-home (he runs his business out of their home) parent, we could not be more blessed.

John’s desire for Ethan to become all that he is capable of, combined with a patience and gentleness is a gift beyond any of our expectations.

John isn’t perfect ( he is a human being after all) but this past weekend he kept reminding me of my heavenly father. God wants us to learn the rules, he wants us to develop the skills he gave us, he wants us to become all that he designed us to be, but he is ever the patient and loving one who waits for us to be ready to grow in the fits and spurts that characterize most of our lives.

And once in a while, we get a Hole-in-One!