Vacation

My family just returned home from our vacation. We went out to eat to a few of my all time favorite places to eat. We watched a movie. We saw some old friends. We traveled back to my home town. We saw the house I grew up in. We drove to the first church I served as pastor and showed Taylor and Tanner the first home they ever lived in. We drove to the first home we bought where Tucker and Turner first called home. We visited the cemetery and put flowers on the graves of my baby sister, mother, grandfather, and grandmother.

We then traveled to a resort on Lake Conroe. We played putt putt where Taylor ended the week as the family champion. Tucker and I tied for second but he beat me soundly in a play off. Taylor and I won the two on two family basketball championship though it was close all the way to the end. Turner and I won the shuffleboard championship with Turner carrying me from beginning to the end. He played masterfully beating his older brothers nearly single handedly. Tanner won our tennis tournament in a rematch with Tucker.from last year. Due to only one tennis court I sat that one out. We swam and they played board games.

We slept late. Ate our meals at odd times. We sweat profusely in the Houston area humidity leaving perspiration soaked clothing that had to be left out to air dry. We worshipped in other churches where we reconnected with some old friends.

Vacation is a fantasy. We live in a make believe world. For the first time in a long time I did not wear a watch. It did not matter what time I woke up. Every day my agenda was to spend time with the boys doing what they wanted to do. I did not check emails. I did not even take my computer out of the backpack. I read a little and prayed each morning.  I played with the boys a lot while Brenda rested.

Now it is back to reality. I did not preach while away but starting tomorrow I am preaching a youth revival this week. I have a hospital visit to make tomorrow in Fort Worth. And of course there will be the family tradition Edwards Summer workouts.

I enjoyed our vacation but the longer we were away the more I was ready to get back. Many people want their whole life to be a vacation. God created us for purpose. He gives us assignments. Vacations are great for renewal, to recharge the batteries and making memories. We were not meant to live on a permanent vacation though. I am not interested in living on vacation. I will not sleep in tomorrow morning. I will not keep the computer in the backpack. This is the second blog I have written this afternoon. It is time to go back to work. There are responsibilities to keep. There are tasks to be done. There are things to be accomplished. Vacation is over.