I’ve not blogged for a number of reasons, and won’t be doing much more than posting pictures for a while. But, hey - at least I’ll be posting again. =)
I wanted to post about our vacation, so I’ll write a few lines and then get with the picture posting.
It’s been a rough couple of months. Fast-paced, full of big, personal decisions and stressors. Things have been building for a long time - no breaks from the everyday worries can build, and when you start dealing with bigger things, stress and exhaustion can overwhelm you. It was perfect timing for a vacation.
We went to Myrtle Beach, as we have done every summer for the past few years. This is always a wonderful trip - not only do we get to be right on the beach for a week, we also get to reunite with good friends and with my family. Bill and Georgiana are two of the most generous and loving people we know - they open their home to 6 noisy and messy invaders every summer. Now that Melissa’s overseas and we’re out here in Indiana, my immediate family is rarely completely together. This is one of the few times a year that all (or most) of us can be found in one location, and it’s a much-needed reconnection.
For the first time in years, I completely relaxed.
David will laugh - being with my family can be anything BUT restful because we’re a lively, merry, and flat-out loud bunch. But there’s always been a strong current of satisfaction with one another, of joy, that flows through every interaction we have. Even the spatting. =) And then there was the calming influence and peaceful energy of good friends - Bill and Georgiana - to round out the atmosphere.
I didn’t work at all - on every other “vacation” I’ve taken in the past 3 years, I’ve had to bring work as a condition for getting the time off. Now that I’m in a new environment, I was able to actually disengage from the work for a week.
I left behind the weight of recent weeks. Heaviness, even while mostly balanced by peace (a true gift of God), has been my constant companion for two months now. While I was gone, I just… rested. And I was able to talk to my family about some of the things that have been weighing on me - having that support is already making a difference.
I came back to my life rested, more optimistic, and ready to face facts and challenges. But in this world, there’s always sadness waiting to temper joy. Friends are losing their jobs while I’m thanking God for my own. People who work very hard and manage money carefully can’t make ends meet, and can’t get help from the state or the government - while people who wallow in their own laziness and selfishness make choices that harm their own families - and get paid to do it.
It’s hard to maintain cheer and optimism when so many are battered so roughly by life… I am grateful to have a well to draw from when I’ve reached the end of my strength. How can people survive without a faith in something beyond circumstance and surroundings?
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Not much to see here, if you're looking for thoughtful and articulate. =) This is a simple communication tool - when your family is scattered as far and as wide as mine, you have to stay in touch somehow.
