The five of us were sitting at a round table in a coffee shop in Poole on a cold and wet evening this week. We had had a good day, some of us had gone to "Go Ape!" the treetop assault course, followed by a walk in the woods and home for chilli con carne for tea. But the evening had turned wet and a quick trip to Poole sounded good.
Everyone ordered what they wanted and we sat with our drinks - chocolate cake and Pepsi for Isabel, strawberry milkshake for Robbie, Hot Chocolate with flake, cream and marshmallows for Martha (we knew that she would only eat the flake and scoop off the cream), Mocha with cream for Paula and me with an Espresso (How come I get the small cup?). And we talked and laughed and were serious in turns, everyone chipping in, teasing and being teased. When Mum drank her cream-topped Moccha every laughed at the cream which ended up on her nose, then they were equally repulsed when I licked it off! We talked about schools, favourite places, the funny things that the kids had said when they were young; we talked seriously about how we had moved house from Tunbridge Wells to London and now to Selby, and we learned about how the children had felt about those changes and what they had liked and disliked.
I call these times McDonalds Moments, because we normally have them at the McD across the road. We simply sit round a table and snack, but these are times when we enjoy being a family. We laugh a lot but also see the serious side of ourselves. I am constantly blessed by my wonderful family and thank God that we have each other in the way that we do.
Across the water at Poole Harbour is the boat yard for Sunseeker yachts - each being a multimillion pound purchase for the megarich. I looked at them and think that I have still have the best that life can give.
Everyone ordered what they wanted and we sat with our drinks - chocolate cake and Pepsi for Isabel, strawberry milkshake for Robbie, Hot Chocolate with flake, cream and marshmallows for Martha (we knew that she would only eat the flake and scoop off the cream), Mocha with cream for Paula and me with an Espresso (How come I get the small cup?). And we talked and laughed and were serious in turns, everyone chipping in, teasing and being teased. When Mum drank her cream-topped Moccha every laughed at the cream which ended up on her nose, then they were equally repulsed when I licked it off! We talked about schools, favourite places, the funny things that the kids had said when they were young; we talked seriously about how we had moved house from Tunbridge Wells to London and now to Selby, and we learned about how the children had felt about those changes and what they had liked and disliked.
I call these times McDonalds Moments, because we normally have them at the McD across the road. We simply sit round a table and snack, but these are times when we enjoy being a family. We laugh a lot but also see the serious side of ourselves. I am constantly blessed by my wonderful family and thank God that we have each other in the way that we do.
Across the water at Poole Harbour is the boat yard for Sunseeker yachts - each being a multimillion pound purchase for the megarich. I looked at them and think that I have still have the best that life can give.
Good post - put me in mind of Jesus relaxing with the disciples over a fish supper on the shores of Galilee :-)
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