Quality time is found in the unexpected moments of life.

It's not defined by the hour, but simply by our devotion one to another.

~ Time-Warp Wife

Graham asked me to solve a riddle the other day. It went like this: An eight foot tall man is standing on a chair, how tall is he now? Right off the bat I figured that he was expecting me to say 11 feet, so I went in the other direction and guessed 5. I figured 8ft - 3ft (for the chair). But the answer was simple: 8 feet. Graham said it doesn't matter whether or not the man stands on a chair or not, if he's 8ft tall, he's always 8ft tall. Leave it to a 12-year-old to pull one over on me!

When I got to thinking about time this week, I realized that it's a similar thing--an hour is an hour regardless of which way we slice it. We all hear about "quality" time and how it trumps "quantity" time, but does it really? Does taking your kid to a ball game add more to his life than working in the garage together might? Would taking your daughter to the ballet enrich her life anymore than making dinner, setting the table and washing dishes together could? Anyway you spend it, one hour is still just an hour. The quality of that time is dependent upon our devotion one to the other.

It's important, in fact it's vital that we spend quality time with our children, but quality time can never take the place of quantity. Here are two very good reasons for this:

Children need both.
Quality time develops when you least expect it.

Here's an example. When I was a child we went on a family vacation to Banff, Alberta. It was incredible. We got to ride in a gondola lift and took a trip to Heritage Park. It was definitely something I'll never forget. But I have to say this: I believe that my character was greatly influenced by the countless nights we spent sitting around the kitchen table with my dad. It was simply time spent together. Nearly every night Dad would tell us stories from his past, he'd sing a few songs, and he'd always make us laugh. Nothing was planned, it just fell into place because he was ready and willing to spend "time" with his daughters.

We are each given a handful of time. Remember to spend it wisely my friends.

You are loved by an Almighty God,

Darlene Schacht www.timewarpwife.com