I got home after a long day of meetings, and my children greeted me like ecstatic puppy dogs.

"Daddy!" Elliot yelled, the first to see me.

"Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!" yelled Olivia.

Cor just gave a weak smile (he's been sick for the last few days).

I asked them how their day had been, and they excitedly reported that it had been a good day -- and that they had planned a special surprise party.  The house had been decorated with streamers (toilet paper), special bows tacked to the wall in strategic places like the front entryway, and three balloons.  And they had planned special drinks and snacks for the party, and they were sure that I was going to love it.  I told them that I was sure that I'd love it, too, and I asked them why we were having a party.

They shrugged their shoulders as if to say "because" and left the question at that.  Kids don't need a reason or a special occasion to organize a party.  It's almost an absurd question to ask "why" a party needed to be organized (although the beauty of children is that they will never shame you for asking an absurd question).  Parties, of course, are fun.  And fun is a good thing.  So parties are a good thing -- whenever and however and with whomever they can be coordinated.

So we had supper and caught up on the day's events.  And then, after supper it was party time.  They triumphantly brought out a pitcher of ice-cold grape flavored kool-aid (my favorite) and a box of Oreos.  And the party was on.  It didn't last very long.  It didn't feature an elaborate theme or order-of-events.  But I have to say that it was fun -- a delightful little party with our family of five.

After the fact, I got to thinking about the party.  I thought maybe it served as a very appropriate observance of two (increasingly-less) important milestones in our family's history:  the end of our first decade in full-time ministry and the anniversary of our immigration to the Netherlands.  As of January 2009, I have been working in full-time, support-based ministry for ten whole years!  And furthermore, January of 2009 marks the six-year anniversary of our move to Amsterdam!  It's crazy to think that I've been doing any kind of career (post college) for a whole decade -- but especially a career in ministry.  And to think that over half of that has been in Europe!  It's really crazy if I stop and think about it...

But what's craziest of all -- if you ask me -- is that such an observance has become so ordinary, so unremarkable.  I didn't even remember that the milestones were upon us until wehad already passed them!  These annual remembrances (or "forgetrences") are not grand galas with deeply symbolic ceremonies.  They are, rather, everyday parties -- seemingly for no particular reason -- served with Oreos and kool-aid, celebrated with toilet-paper streamers andlittle bows on the doors.

And honestly, I'm very much OK with that.