i had a close encounter with a ufo near stephenville texas

The recent UFO sightings near Stephenville, Texas have caused quite a stir.  My interest was piqued when I heard that there was going to be a UFO meeting in the near by town of Dublin.   On a whim I suggested to my family that we go.  

My idea was met with mixed responses.  My wife, who is always ready for an adventure, was all for it.  My daughter however, absolutely did not like the idea.  In fact, she put up quite a protest.  So being the considerate father that I am, we went anyway.

There were probably ten-plus TV stations represented, as well as a number of newspapers.  By the way, that evening my family, and yours truly were on the evening news.  How about that for a family memory?
 
Later, I thought about all the different kinds of people that were there.  There were young and old, well dressed, and not so well dressed, believers and skeptics, humans, and a couple of aliens.  I think there were even a couple of undercover Federal agents taking pictures, and writing down license plate numbers.  As a matter of fact, I think I saw agents “Scully and Moulder” lurking in the background.

Without a doubt, most of the times that I make my children go somewhere with us, even when they protest, they later end up having a good time.  The trip to Dublin was no different.  My daughter had a great time, and walked away with a UFO t-shirt to boot.

The scripture states “train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it”.  The idea here is that, as parents, we have a responsibility to train our children.  One area of training that I would like to present today has to do with doing things as a family.
  
The standard definition for UFO is “unidentified flying object”.  Just for fun let’s change the definition of UFO to “unidentified family outing”, and “unidentified family obsession”.
 
The unidentified family outing works something like this.  Get your kids out of bed early one morning, put them in the car and start to drive.  Don’t forget to pack an ice chest.  You can have a destination in mind, or not.  On the way, look for things to do.  The purpose of this is not the destination, but the journey. The unknown aspect of your outing creates a feeling of expectancy.
  
As you are driving you will encounter a number of things that say, “Stop and spend some time”. Take the time to enjoy the moment.  You may bump into a parade, community festival, flea market, state park, paddle boat ride, etc.  The list is unending.

Unidentified family obsession has to do with finding hobbies, and activities that you, and your children can participate in together.  Some of my fondest memories of childhood are the times that my dad took our family arrowhead hunting.  As a result I developed a love for Native American artifacts and history, as well as spending time in nature.  To this day my dad and I share these interests.
 
Warning: be aware of “Unidentified Family Objections”.  If you don’t have a pattern of spending time with your children they may resist your attempts to go places with them.  Don’t lose heart.  This is about training your child to be a participant in family activities.  By intentionally spending quality time with our children, we can form close bonds, as well as common interests that will last a lifetime.
    
As we look to the distant skies in hopes of seeing a UFO we might consider looking no further than our own living rooms.  Who knows?  One may experience a “close encounter” of the best kind.

 
Mike Scarlett is a counselor, writer, and public speaker.   He may be contacted by going to mikescarlett.com.