Vacation

I love vacations. I know that seems like a simple statement, but it is accurate. My wife and I do not take enough vacations. We like to travel and see new things, but most of the time our trips are to visit the grandchildren or to attend. Trust me when I say those visits are worth every moment. Though they are almost monthly, they do not seem to come around enough. However, they are not the same as vacations.

We do not plan every moment of our vacations. Some people stick to rigid schedules. That is not us. We may schedule a couple of things and wing the rest.  This time our plan was only to go south of Miami to see friends for the weekend. The rest of the trip was to see what else there was to do on the way.

We began our trip in St. Augustine, Florida. It is the oldest city in our nation. I was here for a night back in 1984, but it has certainly changed since that time. It has become much more touristy. There was so much to enjoy about this place. We visited the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum finding the story of a pirate that shares my last name. We walked through the historical Spanish fort, the Castillo de San Marcos. I especially enjoyed the tour of the Colonial Quarter which covered the 16th through the 18th century.

Miami was HOT which is not a surprise. The amount of traffic was also crazy. However, spending time with friends and visiting The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens was well worth driving the 28-hour round-trip.

The thing I enjoyed the most on our vacation was time with my wife. She is a magnificent person, which is kind of why I married her. However, between work, hobbies, and the hustle and bustle of daily living the time spent away from it all allows us just to be together.

I love spending time with my wife. It does not matter if we are doing anything or just sitting there. I love her, and I love the togetherness. While we have similarities in our likes and dislikes, there are many more ways in which we are different. Yet, we find things that we can do together. She is indeed my best friend.  The few vacations that we have allows me to experience life together without distractions.

We are all busy. Life does not slow down for anyone. Sometimes we need to get away to see what is important. Smell the roses, visit the beach, and enjoy a sunset. The beauty of this world far exceeds the ugliness on which so many people focus. We need to stop getting distracted. Focus on what is important.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

That verse does not say to think about the troubles in the world. It never mentions criticizing everyone who disagrees with you. Sometimes we need to step away and think about what we have been thinking about. Have our thoughts and words been productive?

Just like I enjoy spending time alone with my wife, God enjoys spending time with us. No matter what is going on in the world, He has time for us. We forget to spend time with God, but we must use the time we have. Get away from all of your trials and tribulations and just be with God. Give Him all of your troubles. He loves you even more than I love my wife. Sometimes she thinks she is a burden to me, but she is not. She is a great joy to be around. God feels the same way about you. You are not a burden. You are loved.