Four days into a month of thankfulness and the list of things from which to choose is still quite lengthy. My fourth reason for thankfulness is as much a blessing as the others, which means it’s quite a big deal to me.

As a parent of four children, it took quite a few years to get to the point where my husband and I could go out on dates for a couple of hours without the need for a sitter, but we have now arrived at that point! We can’t do overnights yet, but we’ll take whatever we can get. We are by no means a wild and crazy couple, so you’ll never find us painting the town red in a club or bar. You’ll rarely even spot us in a movie theater for a matinee, let alone an evening showing.

Instead, you’ll find us dining at a local restaurant in the early morning hours each Saturday. It’s not about the food as much as it is about spending quality time with one another, in a relaxing setting with no interruptions, well, except the server, but that’s to be expected when you’re dining outside of home.

I am thankful for the opportunity to spend every Saturday morning out on a date with my husband. I am grateful that our children can take care of themselves for an hour or two before calling one of us about some kind of non-crisis that they’re having. As each successful date goes by, the length of time that we will spend away from home will expand. One of these years, we just might be able to go out at night and paint the town until the roosters crow. 😉 Until then, Saturday morning is “date night”.

Father,

Thank you for allowing me to have Saturday morning dates with my husband. I am thankful for the quiet time that we have during which we are able to pray together for our family and friends. I feel blessed for being able to shut out the busyness of our schedules and just focus on one another in a way that’s difficult to do at home. I pray that you will continue to bless our family and the friends for whom we pray and help us to sense your presence wherever we spend our Saturday mornings. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

CC