The minivan pulls up at the end of my front walkway about the same time I get the text message announcing its arrival. I’m already one foot out the door as I yell back into the house that I’m leaving. The kids toss me back a mostly spirited “Have fun!”, and I’m off.
I slide open the van door and slip into the seat waiting for me. We can’t help but start with small talk. It’s been a month since we had planned a night out and there was a lot of life to catch up on. How’s work? School? Kids? Love life? All the usual girl night questions get quick answers before the voice in the passenger seat speaks a bit louder.
“Pick a city ladies!”
There’s really only two choices. The city we are in and the “big” city 40 minutes north. The decision to get out of town comes quick. We could all use a little extra escape tonight. Plus, the drive gives us time to dig deeper in conversation. Before we know it we’ve chatted the better part of half an hour and someone realizes that we don’t know where it is we are headed exactly.
Out comes the trusty phone and I google new restaurants in the area. We read over the menus and finally decide on a favorite farm to table spot on the east side of town. We’re breaking an unspoken rule tonight because we’ve been to this place before. They have a corn pasta dish that makes me salivate at the mere mention of it in this post. It’s not just any corn pasta. It’s swimming in a pool of garlic butter sauce. The only thing better than the pasta, or at least as good, is the butter lettuce salad that precedes it.
We savor every. last. bite. Nothing is wasted. We even manage to save a little room for dessert. Most girl nights we walk or drive around a bit after dinner and then choose a second spot for dessert, but tonight we break the “rules” again. They are serving a house made vanilla bean affogato that we can’t refuse.
We leave the night full. Full of food. Full of good company. Full of true friendship. And fully refreshed.
I deeply love these ladies. Our lives have been intertwined in many ways. But also life gets in the way for each of us and we don’t have opportunity for night’s out as often as we’d like.
As I write this, we have our next girl night on the books and that same corn pasta is back in season. Drool. It’s hard not to obsess about that buttery goodness in my thoughts right now.
But that’s not all I’m thinking about. I’m wondering if Jesus ever feels like I wait until my life schedule is cleared and I have a reason to meet with Him? And I wonder if it hurts His heart. I don’t want to just think about how great He is and how much I miss His presence, especially since the only one in the way of that time together is me.
May my longing for corn pasta and time with the girls pale in comparison to my hunger for Him. When my soul is weary and my heart is tired, I’ll still look forward to dinner adventures with my sweet friends, but I’m also going to seek after the greatest adventure of all… life with Jesus! Only He truly refreshes and fills our soul!