Vacations

I know that I have already told you about our wonderful vacation on our cruise, but it was so much more than all of those wonderful things.  It was a chance for us to just be us.  Just be a family.  A time for us to bond like we never have.  A chance to breathe.  David and I have talked so much about how important this trip was to us.  And, we didn't even realize that we were going to feel this way when we left.  We just thought that we were going to have some fun on a cruise.  I am in tears writing this because we learned so much on this trip.  We realized that we had been a bunch of pretty irritated people for the past couple of months.  We have just been functioning and managing.  And, to be honest, without a whole lot of joy.  I have been so irritated with Sam for his boyness and irritated at David for his inability to read my mind.  I don't know why I have ever expected him to know what I need/want from him when he is not a mind reader.  

On our vacation, we just got to be the four of us.  We got to enjoy Sam for who he is.  For the way that he loves to observe everything.  For the quiet leader that he is.  The way that he really doesn't care what everyone else is doing because he wants to do his own thing...and if you want to join him, great.  If not, that's fine, too, but just don't try to stop him.  I got to watch David and Sam bond even more.  Those two love each other.  Sam adores his daddy and David loves his son so much.  Sam also loves his little brother and always wanted to make sure that he was happy.  He would say, "good morning, buddy" every morning to him and Jacob would smile with his whole body.  You can tell that Jacob wants to do everything that Sam is doing.  I have so many memories in my mind that it is so full!  

I just want to tell everyone that you need to take some time as a family to just be a family.  Whether you go on a huge vacation or just turn off your phones for a few days, you need to be a family...with no laundry, house cleaning, cooking, etc.  Just you.  A time to enjoy the family that God has put together.  A time to get to know each other better. A time to make some memories that make you smile at the thought..and that only you understand.  

I just don't want to be who I was before we left.  I don't want to be grumpy or irritated.  I want to be happy and to choose to see everything about each one in my family through Jesus' eyes.  I want to walk around like a person who is covered in grace...because I am.  My family has every reason in the world to be irritated with me at times, but they each treat me with such grace and I want to be that way, too.  I am so thankful for the lesson learned!