Date Night

Tonight Ben and I had a very special date night. Our friend from church Katy came to our house to watch the girls. Then, Ben and I drove to Katy's house, where her husband Chris and son Steven cooked us dinner. Now, to complete the picture: when we walked in, on the table was a full china place setting for the two of us. I am not a foodie and therefore will not do this justice, but we had cheese and spinach dip for an appetizer, a salad with a blueberry vinagrette dressing, then a main course of T-bone steaks, fresh green beans and rice pilaf. Our meal ended with Swedish cream topped with homemade jam. I am 99% confident when I say it was by far the best meal I have ever eaten. I did not know the true meaning of food coma before tonight - I literally came home, vegged on the couch for 45 minutes or so, then came upstairs to change clothes and climb into bed by 9:30pm.

I was struck by two things this evening: first, I realized there is something to be said for dining IN. There wasn't the noise and bustle of a restaurant; I didn't feel rushed or that I was wasting some poor waiter's time. Ben and I just sat, completely relaxed, and enjoyed each other's company. Which brings me to my next point, the selfless service we were blessed with this evening. Katy watched our kids; Steven, a high school junior by the way, spent his time after school preparing this feast for us; and Chris grilled the steaks, served us our food, and cleaned up after us. We asked for none of this - it was all given to us freely and with nothing expected in return. I am so humbled to be the recipient of such selfless acts of love and service. I only hope that one day I can make someone else feel as blessed and special as I was made to feel tonight.