It sure does feel good to be back

I came back to work today. I was out for 6 weeks - 2 weeks of vacation book-ending 4 weeks of study (click here for more info about my study break). Technically, I returned to my regular work on Sunday. But even that wasn't 'normal' because we had a mini-retreat planned with our senior staff (which we call the 'Blue Team'). So got home from vacation on Saturday and spend Sunday through Tuesday away on that retreat. Today, I finally got to my office after a long time away. There was some surprise waiting. Here's a sample of what I saw when I opened my door:

Everything had been wrapped in toilet paper and plastic! It was pretty funny. I guess I've been gone so long, they had to shrink-wrap the room!

But the favorite think I found was inconspicuous. It would be easy to miss by the average person. It looked like this:

So what...just a nickel. Can't even buy anything with it anymore. What's the big deal? Well, a few years ago, a group of guys at our church went to a men's rally in PCC kind of put together. They brought in a great speaker who challenged them in many areas. One of those areas was to pray for their pastor. His symbol was a nickel. "Pray for your pastor 5 days every week and give him a nickel every week when you do. I have a special flask in my study at home where those nickels have accumulated and grown into substantial collection now. Most Sundays, 1 or 2 or 3 guys (and occasionally a lady who found out about this ritual) will just walk up and hand me a nickle. It means a lot to me.

This nickel on my desk was put there for a reason. Someone - and I don't know who - is sending a message to me. They're saying, "even when you are away and not bringing us messages and making us laugh, I'm still praying for you." I can't tell you how much that means to me.

So, for all the saran wrap and toilet paper, I sure do appreciate the person who also sent a fun message that simply said 'I love you enough to pray for you regularly'.

Looking forward to diving back in really hard today.

Thoughts on my vacation

I've made a lot of mistakes as a parent. I suppose any parent with a child who's older than 2 can say that. I have 3 kids and have been a parent for almost 21 years. This makes for many opportunities for countless mistakes of infinite varieties covering the spectrum of severity. I could talk about lots of them, and I have done that.

A much shorter list would be of the decisions I've gotten right. And near the top of that list, in my humble opinion, would fall into the category of vacations.

Every year, with only 2 exceptions I can remember, I have taken my family on a week of vacation in the winter and another one in the summer. The summer vacation is at the beach and the older kids invite their friends. The winter vacation has been for just the 5 of us, most of the time, and we've gone to a variety of places.

Without a huge amount of money, we normally vacation somewhere within driving distance, and one of our favorite winter vacation spots the ski resort of Killington, Vermont. We left at 5:30am last Monday and drove for 12 hours. We got there in time to enjoy a few minutes in the heated outdoor pool, one of the novelties. There's something just plain fun - almost nature-defying about swimming outside when it's 10 degrees! We skied for 3 days. My daughter is a skilled snow-boarder and both of my boys have been skiing since they were 4. We're all well geared for the extreme cold, and it was a good thing last week!

The trails at Killington are incredible. One of the 'lifts' is a heated, 8 seat gondola that takes you 3 miles up the mountain. From the top to the bottom is several miles of skiing in various kinds of terrain. It simply doesn't compare in any way to skiing in Virginia, and except for the long drive, it's not really any more expensive.

But these vacations are really more about being together as a family and making memories than improving our downhill skill. Last week was a fantastic time for our changing family to spend some time together. A few years from now, my daughter will be out of college, my oldest son will be in college, and significant changes will come. I cherish the moments we are creating today - the last of their kind.

I hope you look for ways to do some things with your family in the coming months. Even if it took months to plan and save, it would be worth it.