The week that had been planned for months was finally here! The van was packed and we were on the road (ahead of schedule!). Our destination: Nana and Pawpaw’s to drop off Sam and Levi and then on for a weekend getaway with Jen to begin our vacation. The traffic was going smoothly as we passed the exit for Falls Church (20 minutes into the trip) when we heard the scream from the back seat. It was Sam. He was holding his hand over his mouth trying to prevent the inevitable. No luck. Breakfast revisited. As I pulled off the highway the my dreams of a tranquil vacation vanished.
After getting Sam cleaned up (Jen did the dirty work), we started off again, determined to make this vacation work. Sam’s stomach wasn’t cooperating. After a few more stops and some smelly grocery bags, we decided to get a hotel in Harrisonburg and wait it out. It only spread. Jen got sick soon after we checked in. We were in bed early that night.
The next day thinking things were finished, we dropped off the kids @ Jen’s parents and breathed a sigh of relief. We were on vacation! Jen was still pretty weak so we laid low on Friday, but on Saturday we hit the town. We went shopping (for Sam’s birthday present - still a little parent mode), ate dinner at a nice restaurant and talked with each other without interruption and we even saw a movie! Just when I was starting to enjoy myself, the second round of sickness hit. At 4:30 on Sunday morning I became well acquainted with the condo’s bathroom features. ARRRRGH! I spent the rest of the day in a horizontal position with a trash can strategically placed in case of an emergency. The sickness was spreading in Roanoke too. Both Nana and Pawpaw were suffering the effects (sorry, we didn’t know it was so contagious).
Levi, not wanting to be left out of all the fun, caught the virus last. After the kids joined us on Monday, Levi started to feel a bit warm. That turned into a full-blown fever on Tuesday. Jen’s day at the Massanutten Water Park was spent with sick child attached to her hip.
Needless to say but on Wednesday, we were feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. In the middle of the moping, I was reminded of Jesus’ plans for a vacation. In Mark 6:31 after a pretty hectic time of ministry, he says to his disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” But as they arrived at their vacation destination, they were greeted by the crowds who knew where they were going (must have been a popular quiet place). Instead of sending them away, Jesus was overwhelmed with compassion and taught them “many things.” I can just imagine the grumbling going on amongst the disciples who were anticipating a little beach volleyball and hang out time with the Messiah. Even when dinnertime comes and an opportunity to send them away shows up, Jesus produces a feast enlisting the disciples as his wait staff! By this time I’m sure no one was talking about how tired they were. It’s amazing how a miracle can cause you to shrug that sleepiness right off.
I guess that’s what life is like on a day to day basis. We form expectations of upcoming events all the time and often, it doesn’t quite work out the way we’ve planned. The disciples could have sat off to the side, angry that their vacation plans were ruined, but if they did, they would have missed out on being a part of a pretty great moment. I’m thankful for that reminder. I did my best to be a bit flexible and enjoy the rest of our time together as a family. I took Sam on his first go-kart ride and (wait for the irony) even caught a few fish. Great moments and one vacation that we’ll never forget.
