Back from the Beach!

Every summer we take a "family" vacation to the beach. "Family" means my wife and me, our adult children and their spouses ... and of course, the grandkids. Each summer gets a bit more challenging, especially packing all the baby/toddler gear needed and, once arriving, deciding who is going to sleep where! With 8 adults, one tweenager and four little ones age three and under ... it does get interesting!

Many people asked me this past Sunday if I enjoyed my vacation. Yep! Hands down a great time was had by all (I am guessing that is true of four-month old Molly as she is not up to talking much yet!). Almost two year old Jack kept saying "beach" every time we got in the car and 14 month old Nolan couldn't figure out how to catch a sea gull (though he never gave up trying!). Three year old Ella laughed and giggled on the rides at the boardwalk ... and tweener Nathan just loved it all (as did all of us adults)!

But I must admit that even though my mind is full of pleasant memories ... my body is half empty of its normal energy. Even though the week was a boatload of fun ... it was tiring. Perhaps it's because I am getting older ... or maybe it's just living with 13 people - including 4 little ones - for a week under one roof.  I sure am glad  that I have a year to rest up before our next family vacation!

One of my takeaways from the week is the importance of our relationships. And if these relationships are to be the kind of relationships God designed them to be ... then we must invest in them. And that is just what my family did down at Bethany Beach. Living, loving, laughing together --- I love you, family!!!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj