Every five to seven years, our church gives my husband a sabbatical.
Really, it's a gift for our entire family.
Even though he usually has a sabbatical project he's working on, we get to see dad way more than we normally do.
We get to have dinner together almost every night and read together as a family.
He gets to tuck the kids in bed every night.
We get to accomplish all the things on the last five years of honey-do lists that have been neglected.
He gets to take the kids out for special lunches and dinners, and mommy even gets a few dates!
We get to drive to church together and actually sit together during a sermon.
We get to play silly games and see Dad in a different, relaxed light.
We get to spend time with extended family and friends that we rarely see.
And usually, because of the generosity of a great church fellowship, we get to travel to some wonderful places.
It really is a time for making wonderful memories.
Since Dad isn't really used to "down" time, it usually takes about two weeks for him to begin to unplug and relax. Before we can enjoy any of the above benefits, our first objective is usually to help him get his mind off work.
So this year, here's what we did!
His first day of sabbatical, we had a silly string war. I think dad lost!
And then, we painted him blue - just for the fun of it!
The next morning, we took him to the bagel shop where my son works and treated him to the best bagels around.
(shameless plug)
Knowing a few silly games and some great bagels wouldn't be enough to help him wind down, we did what needed to be done. We took him to the water and put a pole in his hand. He always relaxes when he's near water, especially if there are fish involved.
I think it worked. Who wouldn't be relaxed after 24 hours like that!
(More about our travels later!)
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