A Letter about Vacations

Dear Uncle Ernie,

Hello! How are you? And how is aunt Bertina? I hope you guys are doing well!

We just got back from vacation. It was a really good vacation, as most all of them are. I can’t think of too many bad vacations, actually. I suppose some of them might be less fun than others. I can think of vacations where we had bad weather (I have lost count of the tropical storms we have seen), car problems (nothing like breaking down in a small town on a Friday night), hotel problems (some hotels aren’t quite what they seem in their online ads), and even a few minor illnesses. But those problems seen to fade with time, and some of those problems I even have to struggle to remember.

When I think back about vacations, I mainly remember the good times. The fun things we did. The fun places that we went. The fun methods of transportation that we used to get there. And most of all the fun people that I was with, whether it was just Laura, Laura and Jaylin, the Riedels, or a relatively large group of family and friends such as what we had on our cruise last week. I remember back in high school when some people were complaining about where we were going on one of our band trips and how our high school band director, Mr. Lumpkin, would always say, “You know, who you go with is much more important than where you go.” And he was right. We were more than just a high school band, we were a group of friends. And we, or at least most of us, had a good time just being together, no matter what we were doing. Even if our bus had broken down and we had to spend a whole day at a shopping mall while waiting for the bus to be fixed, we had a great time at that shopping mall. So while we have gone to some really interesting places, but what really made those places great was the person or the people that I was with.

Of course, the other nice thing about vacations is the actual act of vacating. And by that I mean vacating our home and work and chores and responsibilities. I know that made-up word of “staycations” is popular these days, but if I am off work and at home, there is still plenty of work to be done. Not that I am complaining about all that we have at home by any means. I know that we are blessed and I wouldn’t give any of it up. At least not permanently. But getting away from it all for a few days is really nice sometimes. It is great to be able to trust others to take care of things for a little while as we are gone, and everything is usually all still fine when we get back.

Vacating work is slightly different, because it always seems like there is a lot to try to finish right before we go. It is like everyone hears that I am going to be gone, and they come up with all sorts of extra things to do. And then there always seems to be even more to do when I get back. As in more than just the usual stuff plus an extra week’s stuff that might have come up in my absence. There again, I can’t complain too much, because it is nice to be needed, and it is great to have work to do. And it is nice to have a job to be able to support our various habits, among which are our fondness of going other places. So while work can be a bit troubling right before and right after a vacation, it is still definitely worth it to take the time away from work, even when you have to deal with the frustrations of coming back after you are gone.

So yes, we had a great time. If you haven’t already seen it, you can read about our trip in general and about the reason for our latest trip, although I am sure Aunt Bertina already told you about those, since I know she checks in on the website every day. Tell her there will be more coming soon, too.

I hope you guys are having a great summer, and that you are having lots of those sunny days!

Steve

P.S. Vacation Bible School is a whole different kind of vacation, by the way.