Smelly Tee Tee

My daughter has this thing... she loves to sleep with my t-shirt that I wore throughout the day. Even when the days are hot and I've been sweating, she won't go to bed without what she calls, "tee tee." Before going to bed, she always comes downstairs to where I am and she'll either say, "tee tee?" or she simply puts each hand in the position of a T in sign language (thumb between pointer & middle finder). In this case she just stands in front of me with her two hands held up like disjointed fists. This is my cue to either take off my shirt and give it to her or let her know where I put my dirty clothes. At her last sleepover with her cousins, she even brought one of my "lived-in" t-shirts with her to sleep with.

I'm guessing this is fairly unique, but as funny as I think it is, I feel so honored and adored by her desire to sleep with my t-shirt. She loves the smell and it helps her feel close to me while she is sleeping... honestly, could there be a sweeter act than that? She presses the shirt up close to her nose and breathes in deep and says she loves the smell; apparently the mix of sweat, speed stick, and cotton makes for a fine potion!

Her actions with my t-shirt make me want to have the same honor and adoration for my heavenly father. When is the last time I allowed myself to be completely absorbed by God to the point where I went to bed holding on to Him the way my daughter holds my shirts? I want to press God's presence up to my nose and breathe in deep and allow that smell to give me great comfort and rest throughout the night. There are times when I'm tough on Annie and she gets upset and disappointed, but she always comes back for "Tee-tee"; I want to have that same attitude with God - no matter how much I get upset or disappointed, I want that unconditional love for God that continues to draw me to Him.

Tomorrow my wife and I are going to the Leadership Summit at Eaglebrook Church (simulcast from Willow Creek in Chicago). It is going to be absolutely awesome and I'm sure I won't be able to shut up after 2.5 days absorbed in the best leadership training one can get (including Collin Powell, Jimmy Carter, John Ortberg, Marcus Buckingham, and others). I'm sure I'll be bloggin' about the main things that stand out. G'night.