Thursday nights have been special for me as a dad. 

You see … my wife works on Thursdays and while I've been bummed to not have her with us on these nights - it has created some really unique times for me and my kids to share.  I cherish my Thursday nights.

I'll never forget my first Thursday night without Kathy.  

It was her first night back at work and as a new dad, I had the night all planned out for me and my infant daughter. I would have dinner and Kaitlyn would have her bottle.  That night a friend was coming over to watch a Thursday Night Football game.  I was ready for a great time for me, my daughter, and my friend.  Boy was I wrong!

My friend showed up, the game was on the television and my daughter … she cried. She cried and she cried. 

Kaitlyn wanted her mom. She wanted to nurse.  It was obvious … she wanted nothing to do with her bottle or the NFL game on the television!

My friend, a single guy, felt my pain… but then he left. 

So … I turned off the television, picked up my daughter, and begin to walk laps around our home.  There I was … slowly walking, holding my daughter, and hoping she would stop her sobbing.  My first Thursday night felt like a major failure.  

That Thursday night I felt the weight of what it meant to be “dad”.

But actually, that Thursday night turned out to be an incredible night … maybe my best Thursday night ever!

That night, after walking countless laps around my home with Kaitlyn, she fell asleep on my chest.  When Kathy came home she found me asleep in our bed with Kaitlyn also asleep lying on my my chest.  With Kaitlyn’s bottle firmly in my grip, my daughter and I had fallen asleep together.

Thursday nights became great surprises over the next thirteen years.  My children and I have cooked dinner together, laughed like crazy, played games together, and enjoyed our times together.  Every night our clean home has been destroyed … but we have had some great evenings together.

My children are now teenagers and our schedules have changed, but I'm so thankful for those Thursday nights with my children.  Those nights built a foundation of love in our lives.  I think our family became who we are because of those Thursday nights.

Although I was disappointed that my wife couldn't be with us on Thursday nights, I'm thankful for the way it “forced” me to intentionally spend those evenings with my children by myself.  

Even today, the memories of those Thursday nights bring a smile to my face.

What are you doing this Thursday night?