A Perfect Weekend

Crowd at Laurie Berkner Concert in Central Park

What a freaking great weekend. To start it off, the weather was absolutely gorgeous all weekend long. After the cold and wet we have endured the past couple of weeks it was just beyond relief to get some great weather!

Friday night we had a fantastic birthday party celebrating the 60th b-day of Paul Stelzer, one of the elders at Manhattan and a renowned heart surgeon. The food was great, the wine was flowing, and the entertainment was fantastic. All of it 25 stories above the Upper Eastside. Oh and we had free baby-sitting thanks to the neighbors.

Then on Saturday (the highlight of the weekend) we "braved" it out to Brooklyn to celebrate Ira's second birthday. There were twenty people and ten kids crammed into this apartment. The kids were running all over the place, and Ira was right there in the middle of it. He acts like he has no idea how far he has come or the challenges that still face him. Ira was completely in the moment and helping to contribute to the chaos, it was awesome. I could see each adult take a private moment to look at Ira and marvel at just how incredible he is. It was such an honor to be there.

Finally, on Sunday we celebrated Earth Day in Central Park at a free Laurie Berkner concert with about 6,000 of our fellow New York families. The parents and kids danced, sang, and picnicked on the cool green grass of the great hill in Central Park. Everyone seemed to be there the with their play group, synagog, church, or extended family. It's in that setting that two things made a really big impression on me.

First one being just what the crowd might have looked and sounded like when Jesus fed the five thousand. Second, just how many people are raising their children in New York City, and how fantastic that makes this place to live in. I am telling you I bet there were over a million people in Central Park today, each of them celebrating their own opportunity to be in touch with the Earth on Earth Day. Families of all different social, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds were all their together playing on the playgrounds, napping on their blankets, and soaking in the atmosphere. We topped off the weekend by kicking off our grilling season on our roof. We had teryiaki chicken, ginger marinated pork spare ribs, grilled corn, greek salad, and ice-cream floats.

I am so thankful to have been fortunate enough to raise our children and get to live in the greatest city in the world. Even after eight years each time we really think about it Allison and I have to almost pinch ourselves we just can't believe it. We only hope to honor that blessing by helping God further his kingdom and mission for this place.