Son-In-Law Day

 

Earlier this spring, I had decided to invest in a playset for when our granddaughters visit or are here during the school year. I did my due diligence on researching safety, value, and durability, and when I finally settled on one it was on back order due to conditions in the world that we are all too familiar with at this point. Nevertheless, I marked the box on the website to alert me when the set would be available, and a couple of weeks ago the message appeared in my inbox. I made my way to Academy Sports in Knoxville, made the purchase, and loaded the set in my son-in-law JD Newsom's truck, and made my way home with the wooden gold mine in tow. That was the easy part of this venture. Yes, the box was heavy and it took JD and I a little struggle to unload, load, and unload again, but the real task was yet to come. Those that know me, will likely attest to the fact that I am not the most mechanically inclined individual, so procuring the aid of my ever so capable son-in-law, was a no brainer for sure. Without his assistance, actually him doing it and me being a good go-pher, the swing set would probably still be in the box.

The site for the jungle gym was prepped by our neighbor/friend, the purchase had been made, and all that was left was the ensuing assembly of what lie inside this hulking box sitting outside our home. The manufacturer's instruction booklet, all fifty-six pages, assured us that this was a two man, four hour, job, and by assuring we had the correct tools and following the instructions step-by-step, we would soon have our playset ready for swinging, climbing, and sliding! That was at 9:30AM. At 5:00PM, some seven and a half hours later, JD tightened up the last bolt and the set sat pristine and proud, ready for the girls to play away on the bright blue and green accessories of the cedar red playset. To say I was proud would be an understatement. 

What was I proud of? Proud that we now have an area available for our girls to play and have friends over to play with them on an outdoor play set that encourages and provides a healthy outside activity with good shade and plenty of areas to climb and conquer. But, I think what I was most proud of was my son-in-law JD. Always willing to lend a hand when needed, a never say never mentality, and a heart that is surely made of pure 110% gold. Not to mention, he is just about as handy and crafty with a hammer, saw, and drill as anybody I know. What was supposed to be a four-hour project, turned into a full day odyssey for sure, but JD never faltered or wavered, with a yeoman's approach he, along with some pretty good "I'll hold that in place while you attach it" support from his father-in-law battled the "instruction" manual until the project was complete. 

Later that evening after two of the three granddaughters had a chance to swing and slide, I asked the elder three-year-old, Ella, if she liked the playset to which she replied, "I could stand and look at it all day!" That touched my heart like nothing else could have at that moment. I'm a realist and I am pretty certain if JD had not been involved in this project, number one it would probably still be in the box, and number two it most certainly would not have been safe enough to put our prized possessions on it if I had tried to do the project by myself. That led me to a thought about how much I appreciate JD and how he loves our daughter Rae & granddaughter Charley-Kate. So much appreciation that I started thinking there needs to be a "Son-in-Law Day" and guess what? There is, April 10th has been designated as national son-in-Law Day by congress. I didn't delve deeper, but I'm guessing there is pretty much a national day of recognition for most everybody in some form or fashion. Boss's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Best Friend Day, the list goes on and on. I guess my question and the point to make today is do we need a national day to show our appreciation for those that we appreciate? Shouldn't we be showing our appreciation all along the way each and every day? Maybe we do in our minds, but I think from a standpoint of placing others before self, we should ever be eager to say "Thank You" to those that selflessly do what they do each day to make the lives of others a little easier and a whole bunch better along the way. 

The apostle Paul, was the resolute man of gratitude, which is on full display in the books of the Bible attributed to God's humble servant. In Romans 1:8 he thanks God for the church in Rome and their faith and the impact it was making. He thanked God for the gift of grace given to the church in Corinth in I Corinthians 1:4, and to the church in Ephesus, Paul stated that he never stops giving thanks for them in his daily prayers, (Ephesians 1:16). Paul's thankfulness is limitless as he shares his gratefulness with the Philippians (1:3), the Colossians’ faith (1:3), the Thessalonians (I Thess. 1:2) always letting them know that he is praying for them and that he is grateful for all they have done for him and for God. Above and beyond all of the recognition of what others had done to support Paul, Paul always placed what Jesus did for all of us in the highest level of significance and praise. II Corinthians 9:15 sums it up nicely where Paul proclaims, "Now thanks be to God for His indescribable gift". That is the heart I desire to have, I want to always be cognate of the gift God gave me and offers to us all. I want to see others with a more grateful heart and then tell them how much I appreciate them. I don't want to wait until Sunday each week to tell God how much I appreciate Him, that recognition needs to happen every day!

National days of recognition are great, they give us a reminder that we do need to be thankful and that we need to express that appreciation. Whether we buy a card and a gift or if we just share a word of kind appreciation, share your heart and share a kind word of appreciation today! We all have so much to be thankful for, and for me I am thankful for JD!

Coach Carter