Does God have a mustache?

  I have recently returned from our annual family vacation. My wife, boys, and myself had been looking forward to this trip for at least 4 months.  We made a loop from South Dakota, Wyoming, and concluded in Boulder, Colorado, prior to our return to Iowa.  This was one of the best trips we have ever taken as a family.  It also had one of the most interesting conversations I have ever had with my 4 year old Cooper.

  It truly is amazing what your children absorb.  The smallest things that you think they will never hear or pay attention to, you hear uttered back to you verbatum.  Not only verbatum, but they remember them for years!  I truly try to always lead by example, use teachable moments, and always talk about our values and morals.  Now, whether that gets absorbed in their heads is yet to be seen fully, but I do have two of the best boys a dad could ever have.

  The stories that really stuck out were at the oddest moments and I truly wish we had them on camera.  Our family was at Mt. Rushmore on the second day of our trip.  We were told to stick around till the evening and watch the show.  The show is amazing and really brought me to tears.  They brought all the veterans that were at the Mt. and had them come on stage.  The presenter then said these are our vets and let us say thank you.  For fifteen minutes the crowd stood and clapped, everyone in the crowd.  What a moment.  So stick around for the show.

  Well before the show we were hiking on the trail that goes near the Mt.  Cooper was walking next to me and we were talking about the trail and nice day, when out of the blue he points (to George Washington) and states, "Daddy, is that God?"  I was so taken off guard.  What a concept.  At this moment of our serene surroundings, Coop was thinking about God.  My answer,"No, that is one of the founders of our country and a very special honorable man."

  I could hardly contain myself.  I was left with nothing to say. I quickly told Kerrie about Cooper's comment and that moment he and I just shared.  It was about ten minutes following that comment that Cooper then set the tone for the rest of our trip.  We were still walking under the Mt. when he turned to me once again and said,

                 "No, I think your right daddy, that wasn't God.  He has the mustache!"

  I beamed and held my laughter, and stood beside myself.  The ability for my little 4 year old to think about God, to think what he looked like, to think he even could grasp what he was saying.  It is too funny.  I was proud and just said to him, "You know Coop, you might be right." 

  More stories from the trail to come...