Rejoice and be glad in it…
Do you know that feeling at the end of vacation? The one where you know it is coming to an end and your mind starts filling with the dread of having to go back to the day to day routine of work, the laundry that will need to be done, the emails you will have to read in order to catch up. Have you noticed how those feelings begin to rob you of what moments prior seemed like limitless joy? I can look back on countless vacations and recognize the exact moment that these feelings began to invade my thoughts. If I have learned anything in these last two years, it is to be in the moment and not dread or fret about the past nor what is to come…I cannot control any of those things. What I can do, what is fully in my power, is to be present in this moment and to live fully in the here and now. This past vacation I am thankful to share that is just what I, what our family, did!
Our last day started with a beautiful sunrise, the day started slowly with no pressures on what we needed to do to clear the home or check out. We had already communicated the checkout plan with the girls and simplified as much as we could to not be rushed in the morning (nothing short of a miracle with four teenage girls!). The girls woke early and decided to take a trip to go visit the manatees just one more time. We had a full breakfast waiting as we cleaned out as much of the food as possible which resulted in egg sandwiches for everyone, including our host! The same joy we had in each other’s company throughout the vacation remained with us on our last day. We collected all of our shells, packed our bags, and were ready to go ahead of schedule!
As we sat on the ferry on our way back to our port, I looked at our little family plus two and could feel the joy in their exchanges. Their energy was contagious on the boat. I couldn’t imagine a better end to a vacation, and then it happened. Our boat captain had taken a slight detour when he saw something in the distance. That detour brought us to a pod of dolphins that traveled the entire way back to port with us. They jumped and frolicked in our waves giving us a show that would not soon be forgotten. You see, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24, KJV). God reminds us that God’s love endures forever. He reminds us to see that every day is a gift from God and we should rejoice in it. We have every reason to rejoice and no reason to worry about tomorrow.
Today, I pray that you rejoice in your everyday. I pray as many continue this vacation season, that you not fill your last day with dread, but that you rejoice in the moment, be glad in it.
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