Breath of Fresh Air

We have had a great summer so far! No, we haven’t been to any exotic faraway vacation spots, we haven’t done any roller coasters or even water parks. In fact, most of the time we have just spent at home playing with the garden hose and riding bikes (the kids, that is). And it has been delightful!

We have been thinking a bit recently about the difference between true delight and momentary laughter. Both are good. But one lasts longer than the other. I like to give the kids one “laugh a day,” some funny video I’ve found or a really corny joke; and those little snippets come up over and over again around the table, part of our “family album of stupid things no one else will understand.” I love that. But the delightful moments are different. These require a little more thought and sacrifice. The payback is better though. Hopefully these are things they will be talking about 20 years from now, “Hey, remember that time when Papa played freeze tag with us on the playground?” Truly delightful plans may mean your to-do list gets laid by the wayside. The house may be a mess. That Richard Scarry book plopped in my lap…again? That ice cream treat may be a little out of the budget. But if you count the cost…you will most likely miss out on huge reward!

One of our recent delightful ventures was a little weekend trip to Oregon to visit with a friend and meet the rest of her family and church. One of our kids was so excited that he “had now visited two countries—Canada AND Oregon!”. How do you correct such a naive and excited mistake? The kids relished every moment of our little trip, from sleeping in a tent to picking endless buckets of berries, to pancakes with whipped cream (the spray kind!), and S’mores in 95+degree weather. We adults were refreshed with warm hospitality as well: late evenings chatting in the cool outdoor air, a lazy schedule, wisdom gained from veteran parents whose childrearing days are over, live fiddle music by a couple of our kids, and too many more blessings to count.

It is daunting to pack up the kids and go, even for a couple nights. You’re not sure it’s worth the effort. You are tired and think it might be easier to just stay home and take a nap. Travel time is three times longer than it should be (yay for Friday afternoons!). And one of the kids will drink too much water too soon into the trip with nowhere to stop. BUT you bite the bullet and go for it, and what gets stamped on the face of time is priceless. Delighted kids. Friendships kindled. Renewed vigor for the arduous journey of parenting before you. You can’t put a price on it all. But you can relive the memories and revel in that breath, no, gulp of fresh air.