Briefs, Belief and the Bar

I got home from work last night, and my son was waiting for me at the front door.

Before I could even put my bag down, he asked if I wanted to come and see his fortress. In reality, the fortress was secondary. What he really wanted was simple: he wanted me to play.

The twenty minutes I spent on the living room floor, crawling through cushions, defending imaginary walls, negotiating dramatic battles, were the best twenty minutes of my day.

And yet, objectively speaking, I did not have twenty minutes to spare.

I have two assessments due next week.
There are readings unfinished.
Notes to revise.
Deadlines to meet.
Emails to answer.
Career plans to build.

But in that moment, none of that mattered.

He didn’t care about deadlines.
He didn’t care about emails.
He didn’t care about long-term strategy or professional development.

He just wanted me.

Perspective in practice

Balancing full-time work, full-time law study, and being present as a husband and father is not easy. There are late nights at the desk. Early mornings with case law. Weekends that blur into revision sessions. A constant mental list of “next steps.”

Ambition matters.
Discipline matters.
Progress matters.

But tonight reminded me that presence matters more.

We talk often about building a future — a career at the Bar, professional credibility, long-term security. And those things are important.

But the reason behind the ambition is not abstract. It has a face. It stands at the door. It asks you to come and see a fortress.

The windows don’t stay open

The fortress will probably be gone tomorrow.

The cushions will be back on the sofa.
The assessments will get submitted.
The career will continue to build.

But these invitations — these small, ordinary 20-minute windows — do not stay open forever.

One day, he won’t wait at the door.
One day, he won’t need me to defend imaginary walls.

And I don’t want to look back and realise I was too busy preparing for tomorrow to show up for today.

Faith reflection

Scripture reminds us that our days are numbered, not in a way that creates fear, but in a way that sharpens wisdom. We are called to steward our time well, not just in productivity, but in presence.

It’s easy to believe that faithfulness means striving harder, achieving more, pushing further. But sometimes faithfulness looks like sitting on the floor and giving undivided attention.

God entrusts us with responsibilities, careers, ambitions, opportunities, but He also entrusts us with people.

Tonight, the wiser choice wasn’t another hour at the desk.
It was entering the fortress.

And I’m grateful I said yes.

Keep the faith and seek justice — Manuel