I experienced a very special moment with my two boys yesterday. It involved Winnie the Pooh figurines, some sleight of hand, and a child-like imagination.

Before I get into that though, I want to go back nearly 30 years to what may be my oldest memory. I don’t remember a lot from my pre-kindergarten days, but there is one event that stands out clearly. I was at home along with my dad one day and we started playing a game with my Elmo stuffed toy. We placed him somewhere in the house and then hid in a different room. Magically, when we left the room, Elmo had always moved to a different place! As a child, I was absolutely astounded that Elmo could do such a thing. Thinking back on it, I believe it was always my dad who left first to go “check” on Elmo and then let me know if he had moved yet.

It was magic.

Yesterday, my youngest son received a late birthday present from us. A set of Winnie the Pooh figurines that finally arrived in the mail. He is in love with Winnie the Pooh and couldn’t believe his eyes. He spent the entire day playing with them. In order to join in the fun, I took a break from work part way through the day so that I could play with them for a little bit with him. As I sat with him and his new treasure, my older son decided to join in as well.

As we danced the toys around and smashed them into each other (apparently a very Winnie the Pooh thing to do in the eyes of two boys), that’s when the magic happened all over again. We had seen a magic show last weekend at the county fair and I thought I would try my own hand at sleight of hand. I’m no Houdini yet but my sons were quite impressed with what came next. I would put a couple figures in my hands, put them behind my back, and then when they went to look for them, I tossed them back in to the basket they came from. Every time, they missed the toss but then found them in the basket a few seconds later when they noticed my hands were empty yet again.

Catching on that they always appeared in the basket, they began to only stare at the basket so as to not miss the moment when the figurines magically appeared. I had to up my game. So now, I would tell them to run into the kitchen and then we can run back to see if they moved while we were gone. Quickly, I would have to find a spot to hide Tigger or Pooh Bear while they ran out of the room and back again. Sometimes they would be up in the chandelier, other times on a different toy, or sometimes they would even show up in the kitchen!

My eldest son laughed hysterically every time one of the figurines magically came alive and jumped onto a table or moved into a completely different room. It truly was a magical moment even if there was no actual magic involved. Just a goofy dad.

As the game came to an end some time later, it hit me that the cycle had come full circle. From little boy in awe of the magic a few decades ago to the dad creating the magic for his little boys. It was pure joy for a few minutes. It made me remember that some of the most important things in life come from simply being fully present and enjoying the stage you are at. It’s easy for us to get caught up in believing that our fondest memories or greatest joys will come from our biggest successes, reaching our goals, or having lots of stuff. That the best is somewhere in the future or somewhere else. Yet one of my happiest memories is of a game t-hat required nothing more than a stuffed toy, some creativity, and someone being fully present with me.

I don’t know if my son will remember this game. I hope so. Maybe we will both share a fondest memory of joy together. I know I will never forget this moment just like I will never forget that day from so many years ago. Ecclesiastes 8:15 (NIV) says, “so I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.” May you discover joy today. True, lasting joy, that comes from being fully present with another person, in the place you are, in this specific day that the LORD has made.

Grace and Peace.