Message: This post is long overdue. 

My family was blessed to take a 4^th of July trip to Minnesota to visit my wife’s sister, Cheri, and her husband Curt.  We normally send them a creative thank you letter.  Cheri loves haiku poems, so once we sent a plethora of haikus recounting the memories made with them.  We’ve done top 10 lists.  I think I even wrote a rap song once. 

This time they get a blog! 

I wonder if any of you have that last second vacation planned before school starts.  Just to get away.  This will be tailored to my situation, visiting family.  Here are some tips for those road trips that you can keep in your pocket.

First, let’s address the drive.  What do you do with all the time you are blessed with?  My suggestion is to mix it up.  Get a book on tape.  Think about that conversation you wanted to discuss.  Let a new radio station in the middle of Iowa inspire you and your spouse to break out into song.  Break the trip up with stops.  Even allowing the kids to play on a nearby playground can get the wiggles out. 

So, now you arrive.  Take some time to love your family.  The luggage can wait 10 minutes.  I promise you; it will not be offended.  If luggage indeed had feelings.  Give those long-awaited hugs.  Have a cool drink.  Talk about the weird biker dude you met at the gas station.  His Santa Claus beard was glorious!  I immediately connected with Curt.  My wife with Cheri.  And of course, my boys bonded with the dogs, Charlie and Harley.

Charlie and Harley … That can sometimes get confusing!

The luggage is now in.  You are semi-settled.  It is time to make some memories!  Your hosts will certainly suggest activities, and you will have your own idea of fun.  Come up with a rough game plan.  Focus on unique stuff you cannot do at home.  Do a little something for everyone.  Maybe your kid gets to pick a fun activity that evening, but you get to pick the next day.  Get the whole crew involved!  Be sure to balance just the right amount of activity with rest.

For my boys, it was stand-up paddle boarding.  Picture a serene, crystal-clear Minnesota lake.  The water was like glass.  A few houses were sporadically spaced out.  Herons swooped from side to side.  Greenness in the surrounding trees like you never have seen before.  It was the definition of peace.  How my boys stood effortlessly on their paddle boards was beyond me.  I took a stab at it myself and splashed into the refreshing water twice.  But I did get up!  I just didn’t stay up.  No picture to prove it.  You will have to take me at my word.

Let’s talk about food.  I mean, with all that paddle boarding, you gotta be getting hungry, right?  There is something about sharing a meal together at home.  Jesus modeled this continually.  Anytime He wanted to be intentional with someone, somehow food was involved.  He reclined at the table with tax collectors.  He planned the last supper down to the finest details.  Make your meals meaningful.

I have to give it up to my brother-in-law, Curt.  He was an incredible host!  One afternoon he saw me searching for a midafternoon snack and offered to cook me up something.  Yes, thank you!  He literally jumped at the opportunity to bake some Asian appetizers—no clue what they were called, but they were delicious—and dip them in Japanese barbecue sauce.  My family doesn’t care for Chinese food, so this was a treat. 

Some of our best conversations came around the food we enjoyed.  Put your phones away.  Get the whole crew talking.  This is your time to share life, ask heart questions, and encourage one another.  Stay away from gossip and drama.  Paul gives sound advice for this in Colossians 4:6 when he says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”  Gracious speech.  Seasoned speech.  Speech that preserves and adds flavor. 

Meals can be eaten out, too.  Hit the places you can’t get at home.  Stay away from chains.  Sorry, McDonalds.  Hands down the best meal we ate out was at a local place that served Detroit style pizza.  Never had it?  Picture delectable deep dish pizza, oozing with cheese and toppings galore, with a ramekin of savory marinara to dip it in.  It was heaven in a pan.  Was there any wonder how I gained five pounds? 

Diet starts tomorrow.  Well, it kinda started last Monday.  But then my wife suggested we get that $20 Dominos carryout deal on Thursday night.  It was nothing compared to Detroit style pizza, but MAN!  What a deal!  20 bucks!  Hey, did I just write FOUR paragraphs about food?  Five if you count this interlude. I digress …

What was my favorite activity from our trip?  Definitely not the Mall of America.  Too much walking.  But my son and I did enjoy two insane roller coasters where I screamed my head off.  Disc golf in the backyard was enjoyable, but when your 80 pound 11-year-old son outdrives you consistently, that is quite humbling.  My favorite activity came on the 4^th of July morning.  Most of the house was quiet.  Only half of us were awake.  My brother-in-law, Curt, tiptoed upstairs to find me.

“The clouds are rolling in and rain is coming, but this would be a great time to kayak if you want to.”

How could I say no?  It was perfect timing too, as I was just finishing my quiet time.  Touching upon vacation quiet time real quick … some of the most profound quiet times I have had come on vacation.  If you find the right location with the right view of God’s creation, magical things can happen.  Just because you are on vacation does not mean you should be taking a vacation from your spiritual growth. 

David says in Psalms 8:3-4; 6-8, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” 

That morning Curt and I set out on a glass lake.  The birds sang happily, and a light breeze tickled our skin.  Nobody else was within radar of our kayaks as we quietly pushed off the dock.  I asked questions about family, life, and whatever else came to mind.  So did Curt.  We shared equally, and I soon found my opening up to him refreshing and soothing.  Like aloe to sunburned skin.  Six years my senior, Curt Whisler is the big brother I never had.

It took a good half hour to slowly maneuver our way to the opposite side, and as we deeply inhaled God’s creation, Curt pointed to the northern horizon.  A wall of gray clouds mingled with oranges, purples, and white.  The breeze picked up.  That rain that Curt alluded to earlier was rolling in.  Our paddles thrust into the water a bit faster.  We concentrated more on beating the rain than talking, and we passed one lone fisherman 100 yards away. 

My point is this … never underestimate the power of alone time with ones you love.  My time with Curt and my wife’s time with Cheri—alone and secure from any other listening ears—was truly God ordained.  I confide in Curt like a long-lost brother.  We share so much in common, and I can be totally transparent with him.  That 4^th of July evening, I decided to forgo fireworks in favor of lounging on the screened in porch with Curt while my wife and Cheri went off to enjoy fireworks and my boys relished extra time to watch Bluey on Netflix.

Each of us were spending quality time with that loved one that meant most to us.  I have no idea what the sisters discussed, and my boys’ conversation most likely revolved around how to beat the newest level of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, but my chat with Curt was liberating.  It released tension in my heart that had been bottled up for longer than time itself.  Setting it free was cathartic.  Only Curt knows what we discussed that memorable night.  Curt and of course the Lord whose presence enveloped us both like a warm blanket.

Psalm 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Another of my favorites is Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Time with family and loved ones is priceless.  Treat those times with intentionality, love, and hope for the future.  Take plenty of pictures.  Write about your experiences as I am right now.  You might come across a journal years down the road and smile over the memories made.

I don’t know where the last few weeks of summer will be taking you, but even if you are staying home, relish the gift of time with your family.  And always remember the beauty of saying thank you.  Not just a verbal thank you.  A written one.  With heartfelt words of appreciation.  However you see fit.  Cheri and Curt, our family was so blessed to see you for five days.  Thank you for being gracious hosts and providing a plethora of memories that we will cherish in our hearts forever. 

Prayer Point: Quick update on my job situation … I am still in search of permanent employment.  I almost feel like I have exhausted all possibilities of being a teacher for the 2023-2024 school year, but I still cling to hope.  With only one paycheck left at the end of this month, I know the Lord will provide.  Is there a bit of frustration and nervousness?  Sure, I am not perfect.  But I do fully trust the power of our God who can move mountains.  He has done it before, and He will do it again. 

In the meantime, I am shifting my focus this upcoming week to jobs that might be a springboard to something different.  I am even opening the possibility of subbing while I network.  My prayer request is that you might join me in prayer for wisdom.  Wisdom in whom to talk to.  Wisdom in where to apply.  Wisdom in where God can use me in mighty ways.  I do not know where I will be in a month, but I rest in the truth of Jeremiah 29:11 …

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

God does have a plan, and when He reveals it to me, it will indeed be GOOD!