A lazy morning, a trip to Mom's with four kids and all their stuff, and five hours in the car defines my day last Friday. Last weekend arrived none too soon. Our schedule sometimes overwhelms us and the grief still hangs on. My sweetie and I escaped to Lake George, a peaceful respite known fondly to my aunt as Camp Blessings.
After a brief visit with my cousin and her sweet family, we arrived and breathed deeply as the quiet and calm invited us to rest. We love our children immensely, but for their sake, we knew it was time to step away and spend time as husband and wife. My title as Mom is one that I hold highly, but truthfully, I was Sandy and a wife to my sweetie well before that. I am challenged that too many parents forget that role of spouse. We work hard at building that relationship, for that is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. Our world was rocked, and this weekend would provide a little balance, hopefully.
Our often full calendar leaves little time for nothingness. We needed that nothingness in our calendar if only for three days. Nothingness provided the time to sit and talk through things that needed to be said. Things that bring tears. Things that bring questions and sometimes answers. I am blessed with a husband who doesn't judge me for my questions and tears. He questions and cries alongside me, yet he is strong to hold me up and encourage me in the right direction. Nothingness allowed me to sit and read and not be interrupted. Nothingness gave me the chance to sit and not worry about what was on the schedule next. Nothingness can be a good thing.
At the end of our visit I took a walk to the dock. The clarity of the lake was amazing as you could see quite deep into the relatively calm water. The Adirondack Mountains surrounding the lake lay silhouetted against the sky and reflected in the beautiful expanse of water. Calmness, quietness, beauty. The leaves had fallen, the birds were quiet, summer vacationers were gone, and boats and docks were prepared for winter. Before long, the water will freeze and the snow will fall. Amazingly, though, after the cold and bitterness of winter, the spring will arrive again.
I look forward to spring.
Another five hours in the car, a brief stop to the bookstore, and we were home again.
Our kids welcomed us with open arms of hugs and kisses. It was good to be refreshed. We weren't quite ready to step back into reality, but the reality of the four children that God has given us to train and love is well worth the craziness.
