Hello, my friends, and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast with John O'Leary Monday Morning

Moments. I record these so that you and I can begin our days and weeks in awe. Why not? And on fire, we should

with a burst of inspiration. So I got a question for you. Do you have a reservation? Do you have a

reservation? I received the following text from a dear friend of my name Patrick several years ago.

It began like this. Reservations are made for you next Sunday at 5 p.m.

I received this text during a time in my life that was extraordinarily chaotic. Our first book,

you know it is on fire, was about to release. The publishing company booked an exhausting tour of media and

speaking events spanning several different countries and several dozen states over several months.

Stress, as you might imagine, was high, expenses were high, cash flow was tight, and things

at home were challenging. Beth and I were managing the

strains any couple face in a relationship while also raising a 10-year-old, an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, and a 4-year-old.

The text from my friend Patrick shared that he and his bride Allison were sending Beth and me out for a date night.

The restaurant, Patrick said, was booked.

The meal was covered.

The rides were arranged.

Everything was taken care of.

And then he added that if my excuse for not going was I needed a babysitter, it was not a valid one.

He and his wife were going to be at our house 30 minutes early. They would be taking care of our kids that evening. They wanted us to have some

uninterrupted time together as a couple and they weren't going to take no for an answer. My friends,

that date was seven years ago. Now, I don't remember the restaurant we

visited. I can't remember what we ate or how it tasted. And I don't remember what dressed Beth wore that

night or what we spoke about that evening. But here's what I do remember. I just remember that during a super busy time in our life

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