GETTING AWAY
Home. We appreciate it more when we can get away from it and slide into some degree of anonymity. Often, we are more grateful for it when we come back from time away to once again enjoy our own beds, our own coffee makers, and our own routines. Do you have a get away planned for this summer? Even if it is a mini-vacation, a few days away from our normal household demands can bring us back refreshed and more appreciative of our God given homes.
My dining room looks like a laundry room and camping store exploded within it's walls. Usually, this would make me as nervous as my dog in a lightning storm, but it actually makes me one happy momma. Why? Because it means that preparations for our upcoming vacation are well under way. At the time of this writing, I'm anticipating seeing many of you at the AFLC Annual Conference. While this is a very enjoyable time for us, it is still part of our "work" as we participate in discussions and hear updates on the various ministries within our church at large.
The day after Conference officially begins our vacation. While our plans have never included a cruise, resort, or five star hotel, we still feel like we are getting away grandly while we stay in our tents and cook over the Coleman stove. Long, long, long ago, I used to feel guilty at taking two weeks to devote to JUST family. That guilt I quickly found to be false, and threw it away and began to accept the blessing of spending uninterrupted time with my husband and children.
One of our children has already flown the nest, and this year finds us taking our second camping adventure without him. Our missing him serves as a reminder of how important it is to take the time to create memories with the other children still at home. His leaving also reinforces our conscience decision to take vacation even though for us it doesn't involve cruises or resorts.
Another deciding factor for us in getting away, is that it makes us better servants when we come back home. Even though we return with loads of dirty laundry, gallons of sand in the car, and the inevitable buckets of rocks and pine cones, we arrive refreshed and ready to be used as God would use us.
Time is short, children grow and go, and what is left is memories. What better reason for getting away?
