Truly, and I say TRULY, Friday's are wonderful! The clock is ticking it's way to five and my excitement for the impending weekend grows by the minute. Bearable? Well, yes, but still....It's Friday!

For the most part, this week has been quite long. Normally, on any typicaly given day, my time at work is limited to an 8 - 2 p.m. schedule. For the most part, I'm kept quite busy with an assorted hodgepodge of activities ranging anywhere from support work for our marketing department to Holmes-like detective work in our engineering department. This week, however, in the absence of our main receptionist, I have been putting in nine hour days. Fun! But really, I must confess, that during my normal 8 - 2 schedule, it's never hard to leave work behind and return home for the day. Perhaps I love my time from 2 - 5 p.m. because it's a chance to truly "unwind." It's a time I use to run, gather my thoughts, read, and yes, do a little writing. From 2 -5 I soak in every moment I can, being a true "Mary" by heart. The time is precious to me. As days only seem to get more congested with activities that are never ending, I begin to realize just how important these times "away" truly are. With a cat-like ferocity I strive to protect these moments as much as possible. Afterall, it's my time with "Dad."

No, He does not bear a physical resemblance to the earthly man that is "Dad," but in my life, I have found Him to take many more forms. Protector, friend, confidante, comforter, hero, and yes...Dad. I used to pray to "God," and I used to call Him my "Father," but as the years have come and gone and left me just a little older, somehow these terms just don't seem to do. God has become "Daddy" to me now, for there is an intimacy created in this simple word that I just can not explain . It's a word we use very little in today's vernacular. Often, it's associated with the attachment and affection of a child. Definitely not appropriate for adult usage, or, is it? I believe it is, and really, that's just where I want to be, in Child-like awe and intimacy with the God of the universe who takes every moment out of His world to care for me. As I've grown closer to the Lord over the years, this term of "Daddy" rings best in my ears.

So, 3 hours out of my day each week is sacred to me. And yes, the weekend is nearly here and that means that next week, I'll return to my normal 8 - 2 p.m. and my 3 hours to rest and abide. I love Fridays!