Getting Away

Tomorrow afternoon we will leave for 2 weeks. Our time away will begin with a conference. This is a conference we have attended for years, and it has become a community. There is a core group that is there every year, and others that come in and out. This is where people can come tell me that they've seen progress in Daughter. This is where I can find a listening ear. This is where other people will watch out for Daughter, giving me a much needed break. At this conference center we will have a motel like room (and they're even providing a small refrigerator in our room for Daughter's insulin), three meals a day that I don't have to prepare or clean up, and an opportunity to learn new things and sharpen my skills for ministry. It also gives me an opportunity to reflect on the past year's ministry. It is a wonderful way to wind down for vacation.

We will go from there to a motel for 2 nights. We will have an opportunity to spend time with Dad. He is becoming more confused. He was doing really well for a while, but I think now the relief is past and the long reality is setting in, and he's having a harder time. It will be good to have a couple of days to spend with him, and I'm sure that we'll eat plenty of good restaurant food with him.

From there we will go to a state park and pitch our tent and camp for 6 nights. We are going back to campground we have stayed at many times before. We will go hiking. We will take scenic drives. We will search for fossils. We will attend a concert. We will cook over the campfire. Even Daughter is excited about it (at least at times). Vacation, with its unstructured time, is hard on her. We haven't been camping in three years, because she hasn't been stable enough to handle it. Or maybe it's been because I've been too exhausted to deal with the challenge of keeping her on an even keel while camping. We are going far enough north that I hope the weather will be cooler. Usually it's warm enough during the day to swim in one of the many lakes in the area and cool enough at night that the campfire and sleeping bags are welcome. The picture is from our last vacation in that area.

The last time we were there, it was very hot. We spent our time in movies, the mall, and anyplace we could find that was air conditioned. I'm hoping for better weather this time. I want to go out and hike one of the scenic trails. Maybe we'll go tubing this year. Daughter, unfortunately, prefers shopping and movies to the outdoor activities that I love. I will threaten her into compliance: "Every time you complain I'm going to add another mile to the hike." I'll also give her the opportunity to make choices so she feels like she has some control.

For several days, I will forget about all my responsibilities here and enjoy time in God's creation. I'm looking forward to it. What I'm not looking forward to is all the things I need to do before we can leave.... Daughter is still asleep, but I'm going to have to get her up soon and see if I can convince her that she wants to be wonderfully cooperative today.