Family Vacation

One of the great blessings of being a teacher is the large chunks of time off that we are given. Over the years it has afforded us the opportunity to have many memorable family vacations. We have visited many national parks, stayed in some terrible hotels, camped in beautiful places and seen a good portion of the western United States. We have seen the amazing creativity of God in natural wonders and discovered creative ways to eat on the road. Whatever the destination, though, the best part of every vacation was a constant - family.

As much as we tried to see new things and have new experiences with every trip, ultimately the time was not about what we did or what we saw, it was about who we were with. Every trip was about spending time together as a family and experiences each place, each adventure, as a family. The emphasis has always been of “family” more than “vacation.”

Both my kids are now college students, figuring out how to be and become adults. Besides school, they have jobs, and friends and a full life outside of our immediate family, so the past few years it has been nearly impossible to find a time when all four of us can leave together. This year, however, we made a commitment to set aside the time and do the vacation big, knowing that there may not be another opportunity in the future for a vacation as a family of four. The kids asked for time off far in advance, Sandy and I started setting aside the money, and we began planning our trip to Iceland.

Even to a spectacular place like Iceland, every trip has its moments when all does not seem well. So it was, a couple days into the trip, a bit of tension began to surface. There were differing assumptions and expectations that were conflicting and it was affecting the joy of the trip. So we had a family discussion trying to sort those out and trying to find some compromises and common ground, without diminishing the adventure. Like my family always seems to do, we all rallied and the discussion ended upbeat and encouraging, but I could tell that there was still some lingering angst.

I am always hesitant to read too much into things. I am always skeptical when someone proclaims divine intervention in relatively trivial matters. But that night I had an incredibly powerful dream and I can’t help but feel that God was giving me a reminder. Even as I say that, it sounds phoney, so I don’t blame you if you think I am overstating it, but at the time, and even now, I can’t see it any other way. The dream is hard to explain, and even if I tried it probably wouldn’t make much sense to you, but in the dream, at the end, I was sobbing. When I woke up there was one overwhelming thought - this trip to Iceland is pointless if we don’t savor and enjoy it as a family. I understood that when we went home, all the memories of incredible scenery should pale in comparison to the memory of doing this trip as a family. Iceland was a fabulous setting, but ultimately the trip was not about Iceland, it was about maintaining and strengthening our love as a family.

I didn’t say anything the next morning, but as the day progressed there were some lingering tensions. There was nothing that made for a bad day, but I could tell the previous night’s discussion had not solved everything. The next morning there was, again, a hint of tension, so I decided to share the lesson from my dream. The tension eased, and clearly, everyone agreed that the most important part of this trip was the time we were spending together. Then they asked me about the dream, what it was in my dream that led me to say what I did. I barely started to share when I started crying, and I couldn’t stop. I had to shorten the details just so I could get through it. I can’t ever remember crying in front of my family before, other than when I lost my sister and lost my dad, which, appropriately, were actually a part of my dream. I’m not sure if it was the description of the dream itself, or my tears intermingled with my words, but I knew my family understood. The rest of the trip, they showed that they understood. For that I am incredible grateful, and infinitely proud.

Iceland is an amazing place with a unique beauty. Friends and family have expressed how much they enjoyed seeing our pictures during our trip and they have asked many questions about the various things that we saw. We are happy to reminisce and share our stories. We will tell you, enthusiastically, about waterfalls, tunnels, volcanoes, hot springs, churches and sprawling landscapes. We will show you pictures of ponies, puffins, sheep and rock formations that look like elephants and dragons. But if you ask me about the best part of Iceland, and if you care to listen, I will tell you that taking the trip with my family is the only thing that made it worthwhile. That is how it should always be.