The meal was caught, cleaned, battered, fried, prepared, eaten, and washed up with \u201call hands on deck\u201d.\u00a0 While sitting on the lawn, I could feel deeply, an overwhelming sense of joy overcome my heart.<\/p>\n
I have to confess that I was incredibly excited for our family reunion and seeing all of our family, but I have been carrying around an aching sadness.\u00a0 I have been yearning for the vacation we had planned to take this year for Reed’s graduation\u00a0(much like the ones in the beginning of the song).\u00a0 Sadly, a myriad of reasons put the kibosh on that plan.<\/p>\n
So going to one of our \u201chomes\u201d (again I was excited to do) is the only vacation we are taking this year as a family.<\/p>\n
After that multi-generational dinner \u2013 which was less about filling my stomach and more about replenishing my soul \u2013 I took that short walk to have a\u00a0quiet conversation with God.<\/p>\n
Rested and relaxed, I realized this is truly what a vacation is meant to be.<\/p>\n
No stress. . . no worries. . . and filled with things loved.\u00a0 (Of course, I love the sea too, but this time God granted me insight into the vacation I needed and not the one I wanted.)<\/p>\n
As I walked, I thought back to the last couple of days and all the things I didn\u2019t see on travel sites and travel brochures.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Little kids running between houses with imaginations longer than the hours of the day<\/li>\n
- Sun-soaked hair that shows hours spent playing outside or at the city pool<\/li>\n
- Cousins that have never met having sleepovers and making instant connections<\/li>\n
- One sweetie catching her first fish (and it was a whopper) and teaching her the fine art of telling a fisherman\u2019s tale<\/li>\n
- Taking a late night trip to the train station to pick up a cousin I had never met<\/li>\n
- Hugging everyone many times a day<\/li>\n
- Having a special \u201cgraduation\u201d moment for Reed wrapped in the loving arms of my cousin, Amy<\/li>\n
- Walking everywhere, seldom with a destination in mind<\/li>\n
- Quilting and sharing lots of love and memories<\/li>\n
- Three o\u2019clock chocolate breaks<\/li>\n
- The goofiness of teenagers<\/li>\n
- Late night sessions of packed tables with stories being swapped in every direction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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