Back from our biennial trip to Florida, having stayed a week at a comfortable and spacious rental house right on the beach. Thanks to my dad for arranging it . . . he saves money like crazy for these family gatherings, and we are so grateful for it. My children love it more and more the older they get, and as a bonus this time Number One Son got to drive the go-karts at the amusement park. The weather was great, the waves were great, the bike riding was great (except the morning we got stuck in a rainstorm) . . . and the company was great. It’s good to have the whole family together when we can manage it.
Upon reflection, I realize that my father was awfully good about taking us places when we were growing up. Living overseas had something to do with it, of course, but the effort involved in getting three children and baggage into the little cars we drove in the Philippines makes my eyes water to think about it . . . and that’s with me driving a Honda Odyssey. Dad took us to beach resorts, to mountain resorts, on dive trips, through western Europe, to Singapore, to Indonesia, to Hawaii, to Disney World (when I was 5!), and Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, and even nowadays that we are settled we have had weeklong vacations in Chattanooga, the Outer Banks, the Smokies, and on the Gulf Coast thanks to his love for doing these kinds of trips. And always thanks to careful saving and planning . . . it’s not like we have ever been possessed of great material wealth.
I need to remember how much we have enjoyed and treasured those experiences, and be ready to do the same for my children. I’m more of a bookworm and homebody than he is, but I’ll do my best.
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