If I Could Not Do It All Over Again....

Regret is an evil stepchild. It lingers in the back of the mind, tugging at yesterday, holding back tomorrow. It doesn’t want you to be happy, and reminds you of what could have been without offering any hope for what will be. Let me say off the bat, I have no regrets, but if I could do it all over again I would:

1. Have learned to dance. I took Rebecca to a two hour, private ballroom dance lesson. We danced once after that, and no, it’s not because I think dancing is evil.
2. Have learned to fly. I have several reoccurring dreams and the most exillerating is the one where I lean as far forward as I can until my feet move so fast that I take off, aided with flapping arms. Once in the air I can soar as free as a bird. These is something about flying that sets you free.
3. Have traveled before ministry and kids. We were so serious to change the world, that we missed opportunities just to see the world and spend time together. 

That’s a short list, because, when I think about it, God has blessed me with the most wonderful wife ever, three amazing boys, three even more amazing daughter-in-laws, and three beautiful (amazing) grandchildren. I have the privilege of knowing Abrar and calling her my daughter (A foreign exchange student). I have enjoyed the warm, soft nuzzle of a horse, and the wet cold noes of some crazy dogs. I have traveled to Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Mexico, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Bahrain. I have been to most of the States in the Union. I have scuba dived with sharks, jumped out of airplanes, rode motorcycles too fast (crashed twice), backpacked in mountains and deserts, and rode a train across the country. 

I have walked in the rain, holding the hand of my sweetheart, and kissed her under a full moon. I have argued with her, and been infuriated, only to know the sweetness of reconciliation. She brings the best out of me, and helps me navigate the darker side of my soul.

I have held a newborn in my arms, and the hand of the elderly passing from this life. I have experienced the joy of new life and the sorrow of death too soon. I have known the hungry and abandoned, and I have seen, but never known, despair. No, I have no regrets, and I wouldn’t have done it differently. Our past shapes us, develops our characteristics, and what made me, me early on in life, is what God used to bring me to where I am, and I am blessed. I’m just saying....