As I started a family vacation at a friend’s large cabin in Idaho, I was full of wonderful expectations. I also issued myself a challenge. Slow down and pay attention to the little things. Hard for me to do sometimes–as I move from one event or adventure to another. Slow down. Smell the roses. Pause and see the details around you. Look for moments of hidden beauty. Be here now.

It was a palimpsest house on a lake. (Palimpsest is a new word I just learned, meaning full of layers. Comes from how ancient papyrus was cleaned and reused, with layers of old letter still faintly visible.) We gathered as a clan, a full quiver of grandparents, parents, sons and daughters. Every bedroom filled. A pile of shoes and sandals at each door. The youngest child was one-year-old, and I was the oldest. Abba they call me, Hebrew for father or grandfather. I want all my kiddos to have fond memories of Abba’s lap and Abba’s love. I know I am a poor model in comparison to Abba Above, but I am a model of the never-ending affection of a Father none-the-less.

I got up early, and watched the sunshine dance on the still water. I looked around. I reflected on the little things. I stopped and looked. I noticed a silent deer watching a mother and daughter’s bonding. Quiet cousins playing hide-and-seek together. Colors and carpentry laid out carefully. And I smiled. A great Designer is revealed everywhere.