An Ode to Vacation!

Do you need a vacation?! I sure do!  And I know my husband needs one - whether he will admit it or not.
We've had some pretty amazing vacations in our 17 1/2 years of marriage (Sunday will be our official 1/2 year anniversary!) ... most courtesy of the US Army!

We've seen America from California to Texas to Virginia.  West Coast to East Coast!

We've been to some pretty amazing parts of Europe. 

But that all seems like a past life.  In many ways it was.  It was a life of just making a living and of doing what pleased ourselves - while throwing a few nods God's way because we were Christians.  Not that having a secular job or a successful career is by any means wrong ... I don't mean that AT ALL ... but it was wrong for us in some ways.  We always knew we were preparing to move on into a ministry - we just didn't know we'd move into it so soon - and now that we are in a ministry, we may one day move back into secular jobs again some day. 

In our current life - in which we are (I am) sadly still entirely too self-focused sometimes! - vacations are not about the destination any more.  They are about rest, family, and re-focusing. It's ok because we are now older & more tired, our (older) children are in school routines ... and well, honestly, we can't afford anything else.  But as the Bible teaches, we are to be content with what we have - and even so, we still have SO MUCH!!! 

I am thankful I have learned to be grateful for LITTLE THINGS ... for simple pleasures that I would have ignored when we had more time & more money.  Today I am thankful for the upcoming 7 whole days that we will be away from home!!  In the last 5 years, we have had "vacations" - but for the most part, we'd only be gone for 3-5 days so Dan could get back to his duties at church ... and even, for example, when we had a week long rental of a time share like when Miriam was born, Dan came home twice to check on our pets and to re-stock stuff since we were only 60 miles from home.  I'm not complaining about any of this - I'm just saying how thankful I am to finally have an opportunity to GO AWAY & STAY away this upcoming week.  We have arranged for our pets to be cared for - and we have ZERO reason to come home again (even though we'll only be 120 miles away.  We can't seem to get out of the state of Missouri these days!!). 

I don't know why I feel the need to write all this out - other than to remind myself how THANKFUL I am for this blessing of a much needed rest after a busy school year - and an on-going-ly busy summer at our church as they prepare for the next school year and undergo much construction and building improvements.  And I've been "busy" with babysittting this summer - though the kids I watch are SO GOOD, what you call "easy keepers"! 

So, tomorrow we celebrate my in-law's 50th anniversary with Dan's siblings who are traveling in from far away places like Connecticut and Montana and Georgia ... and as of Sunday, our family will be checking into a cabin in the Missouri Ozarks ... and staying there.  Lord willing.  For a whole week!  Dan's 2 brothers' families will also be around, but hopefully we will have a lot of "down time" to just re-connect as a family of 5 - to enjoy being with each other without distractions - to get on each other's nerves just enough to be glad to go home again when it is all over.  :)   So, Aloha and Bon Voyage to us ... we're going on VACATION. 

PS  Our cabin has - of course - wireless internet so I will not be taking a vacation from technology!  :)