Figuring that you don't want to hear massive amounts of detail on MY trips, I'll just focus a little bit on Florida. We rented a beach house on the Atlantic side of Florida ON THE BEACH. In my mind there is no use in renting a house across the street from the beach. Or one house in. Or walking distance. I want to go out on my deck, down my stairs, and be on the beach. We even got to take Luke for the week. When we got to the house he ran all over exploring, then exclaimed: "This is the BEST BEACH HOUSE EVER!!!!" Never mind that this was the first beach house he'd ever seen.
He played bellboy when each of the big kids got there, showing them to their assigned room. Then began a week of sitting on the deck, playing in the sand, body surfing, and hide and seek. The kids all told me they would do this again (just not next year. Guess they don't want to spend every year's vacation with ol' Mom and Dad.)
Payton was so cute on the beach, although she wasn't too sure about the waves. She crawled all around the beach house, but kept with Mom and Dad on the beach. And she kept tight rein on all our hearts!
Loy and I have been struck this summer by the fact that we can plan all we want for what our future will look like. But, it doesn't always turn out that way. We have seen several people who were tooling along just fine and illness has made their plans unattainable. People who were, a month ago, planning a retirement of travel and RV-ing but are now struggling with a very serious cancer diagnosis. Women who's husband left for another woman. People who have given up lots of plans to look after ailing parents. They are not on the path they would have planned.
It's got me thinking. I have always looked ahead to my life and what I want it to look like. Getting breast cancer at age 48 was not in my game plan. Raising a 3-7 year old in my early 50's was not what I envisioned. Then, once I adjusted to that, having a 7-year-old taken away was not what I had planned. For that matter, when I was young I thought I would live my whole adult life in Kearney. Things are not usually how we picture them.
But, exactly what DID I want this next stage of our life to look like? Can you believe I had never considered that far in the future? Loy and I have been talking and have no conclusions.
Two of our kids live in Sioux Falls. Two live in Omaha. Do we move to one of those towns? Move to halfway in-between (which is, basically, no where.) Do we stay in Lincoln? Stay in this house? Move down south? I've always been sort of opposed to the older people moving down to communities with just older people. I mean, where are the older people mentoring the neighborhood moms? I have loved my relationships with neighbors who are not in my stage of life. But, now that I'm getting older, I can sure see the appeal. (Do I sound like we're 80-years-old or something? I just like to know what's ahead.)
Then we thought, "Maybe we should go somewhere we might want to retire for 3 months in the summer." With Loy being a professor, that is totally do-able. Then I amended that. "Maybe we should try it for a month first." I'm not sure if Loy and I can stand each other for three months away somewhere!! :)
Have I mentioned before about a Wall Street Journal article Loy showed me of this couple who sold their house and traveled the world, living in different countries for a month or so at a time? They rented houses and would really live in the country. Not just fly through in a week. They had enough savings and investments to finance this endeavor. If they stayed somewhere expensive (like Paris) one month, then they would go somewhere inexpensive (like Mexico) the next month. They travelled across oceans on cruise ships as they were moving from one seasonal locale to another. This sounds incredibly fun to me--as long as I get to come back to the US to see my family every other month or so. But what if we did it in the US? Then I could fly to see them whenever I wanted...
We're looking for a place to stay for a month next summer. I have no idea if we'll REALLY do this or not. But, part of the fun is the looking. I've been scouring websites for cottages. Quiet. On the water. Something to do nearby. If you have any suggestions, send them my way, OK?
What I want to do is make all my plans, write them all down. They'll be good plans. Serving God, going to church, helping our grandchildren grow to love Jesus, and then add a nice location and house and good health. And I want to hand my list to God and say, "Hey, Big Guy...would you sign off on this, please?"
It's hard to accept, but God wants to hand me a blank list and say, "Hey there, Kitt, Child Whom I Love, would you sign off on this please?" I have to trust that if we get to live on a lake somewhere and kayak together, that will be lovely. But if it doesn't happen, that is God's will. I have no business whinging (a British word--means grumping or complaining or whining. Rhymes with "fringe-ing") about how terrible my life is or how hard I have it. It is what God has determined will be most glorifying to Him.
It's not about me. What?!?!?! Not about me?????!!!!!
It's about glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. (Westminster Catechism)
Now, maybe I could enjoy him more on a lake... :)
