Family Vacations

Well, wish me luck--I am going on a weekend retreat to the mountains with my immediate family for the first time in over 30 years (the last vacation I took with my whole family was at the age of ten when we traveled less than an hour to a camp ground). My father later told me he had contemplated suicide with his five kids in the back of our old station wagon fighting the whole way. I, however, remember the vacation as really exciting and fun--but I was looking at it through the eyes of a kid. I have since gone on several nice vacations with individual family members which have always been a pleasure--but this time, the majority of my family will be there, except for my wonderful father who died four years ago and a brother who lives too far away. I look forward to a chance to get away and re-connect with my siblings and mother in a relaxed setting away from the problems of life for a while. Life is so complex these days with family responsibilites, work, family illness, problems etc. but it is in the moments of quiet with friends and family that life really happens. It is best to savor them while we can.

Update: Well, the vacation was a big success--everyone had a wonderful time and got along beautifully. The one downside was that the cabin we rented was totally made of wood, with no runners, meaning that the floors and stairs were very slippery--I had warned my mother, who is in her sixties to be careful about falling, but of course, I was the one who took a tumble. I fell down a flight of stairs (after trying to catch a cup of coffee I had stupidly dropped), bruised my tailbone and a toe, along with my ego, but it could have been worse. Other than that, it was great.