Husband

I'm sure that as I continue to write of the grace of God in my everyday life, that my husband Casey will come up frequently. Having Casey as a part of my life for over eight years, and five as a husband, has been a grace gift from God. Through the fellowship we have, we have grown a precious relationship and built a family.

This past evening he went to Denver with a couple guys from church for a conference today(http://www.therebelution.com/). And last night wasn't anything too weird. Sometimes the kids have to go to bed before their dad gets home on youth nights- so that wasn't too different for either of them. And although, it's strange to be alone at night, I was fine- nothing I haven't done before. It was this morning that was hard for our oldest, Norah.

Norah normally prefers her daddy in the morning. They get up together, and that's a special time for her to be with dad. So this morning when I heard my daughter's little steps wander into our bedroom, right up to her father's side of the bed and say, "Where's daddy?" in a concerned voice, I knew that it would be an interesting morning.

I told her that I would get up with her, but needed a minute to "wake up," but she went to the living room. Then I heard some crying combined with, "Daddy?" I came to the living room and saw that my little sweetheart had pulled up the blinds to see outside, and was looking for her daddy to pull up in a car.

After explaining to her that her dad would be home this evening, she was all right. We did a video call with Casey, and she pleaded with him to come home.

Now, some of you might think that this is a little depressing of a story, but it's not to me. It is a sweet reminder to me of how important the presence of my children's father is. Casey is an active, attentive dad who loves his children and has a special relationship with each. He is a gracious gift from our Heavenly Father to our children and to me, as his presence in our home is so important.

As a person who grew up without a father-figure in my life, I cannot tell you the overflowing joy that I have as a wife and mother that I am married to a man who makes myself and his children a priority. As a pastor, there are a lot of demands on Casey's time, and many criticisms some in all sorts of forms- that's the way of a pastorate sometimes. But my Casey makes it clear that if he is going to error in where he spends more time- in the work of the ministry or the ministry of home- he's going to error on his family's side. He recognizes that home is a primary ministry, and we gladly share him- but really, we don't sacrifice much.

Norah's happy today. She knows that her dad will be back soon, and her universe will be back to normal. I'm just so thankful that what is normal is to have Casey home, blessing our family with his leadership and love.