Do it Again Daddy!

It was a living room circus and my boys were in the center stage.

My back was flat on the carpet and the sheer delight was evident from the peals of laughter.

One at a time, they leaned forward on my legs, and with a kick upward, I would vault them into a mini-backwards summersault, only to catch them with my hands and give them a soft landing above my head.

They circled around, again and again, to perform the same trick.

“Do it again, Daddy!.”

It went on for what seemed to be a half an hour. Their faces were flushed. Their equilibrium was off and they wobbled back to the kick zone. They were out of breath from laughing, sides aching. And still they wanted more.

Soon, my hamstrings collapsed from exertion and I just couldn’t muster even one more kick.

“Do it again,” was the rallying cry of those two little guys for years. . It was the mark that I was doing something right. They delighted in the monotony, in repetition, in continued attention.

And I catch myself, now full engaged in the middle years, doing the same thing.

I gaze expectantly at the evening sky, hoping for clouds on the horizon. Last night was amazing with sunset’s brilliance – pastels and dark clouds outlining the brilliance piercing through. Inside, I am shouting, “Do it Again,” God.

I heard about my friend Mary’s pain. She lost a son and is facing another day on the calendar – a birthday remembered without him. I think of Brain, who lost a child and God eased him through the pain with strength, rebuilding his character. And I pray, “Do it Again, God, for Mary.”

John lost his job. And he is struggling with the sad depletion of his life savings, his skills, and his dignity after 24 months. And then I think of Steve, who after struggling for so long finally found employment in his career field, with benefits and security. “Do it Again, God, for Tim.”

And then there’s my life. I remember those years. They seemed long ago, when the harvest was great. And then I lost it all. And gained it all back again, and then some. “Do it Again, God.”

Care to comment?

Linking up with Bonnie, who wants to know when we felt close to God. Read her 6 Keys to Overcome Dead Ends and Disappointments.

Please, share with a friend if you feel moved.
Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert