A Beautiful Escape from the Ordinary

Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries

Recently my young family enjoyed 300 glorious hours of togetherness on a cross-country road trip “experience.”

As we neared the end of the trip, my oldest daughter started rolling her eyes and sighing every time she heard the word “experience” escape her parents’ lips.

Apparently, we used that word A LOT over the course of the 12-day family vacation.

In the week leading up to our departure, we cleaned out chicken coops, weeded the garden, mowed the lawn, organized closets and purchased gifts for our sweet friends who agreed to watch over our little slice of the country while we were away.

After all of that prep work, our physical and emotional tanks were half-empty when we pulled out of the driveway in our “road-trip-ready” minivan at 6 am on a Monday morning.

To say that I was a bit nervous about all the closeness a family road-trip demands would be a gross understatement. 

I was just shy of totally freaked out about it all.

Fortunately, I had a strategy in place for surviving the 4-day drive to our final destination in Southern California.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the “runner’s high” that all the crazy people who enjoy running go on about.

Well, friends, I’ve got another sort of high to introduce you to.

I call it the “organizer’s high.”

And even though my tank was half-empty, I was flying high on all the excitement that comes from having set in motion the perfectly organized family vacation.

If this was an organization blog, I would astound you with all of the beautiful photos of our orderly and thoughtfully organized minivan, or the cooler packed with four-days worth of lunches and snacks, or the grab bags stuffed with kid quieting crafts and activities.

And then I would include a selfie of me with a giddy grin on my face because I totally geek out about all this organizational stuff.

But, this, my friends, is not an organization blog.

So you’ll just have to trust me when I say, I was one prepared mama.

I know that there are a few of you who “TOTALLY GET ME” right now.

My type-a friends who are sitting on the other side of the screen just drooling at the thought of all the structure and satisfaction that comes from having a solid plan in place.

And the rest of you are thinking I’m crazy.

That’s OK, my husband and my mother would totally agree with you!

So, there we were, pulling out of the driveway, uncertain as to what this adventure would hold for our family of four.

As I quietly whispered a prayer for wisdom, strength and protection I felt my worries melt away as peace filled my weary soul.

I would like to say that our vacation went off without a hitch, that I never raised my voice in anger, that joy filled that cramped minivan throughout the 40+ hours on the road, but that would be a lie.

Vacations are tiring, mandatory closeness is draining, and even the best plans can’t account for the unexpected.  

We temporarily lost our youngest on an elevator in Las Vegas, faced an unexpected detour around a bomb threat on a bus on the interstate, and accidentally took our children on a scary ride at Disneyland that left one of our girls in a puddle of tears.

There were moments when I wanted to take a vacation from my vacation, but there were also moments of pure bliss.

My kids saw a wind farm in Wyoming, the mountains of Utah, felt the 117-degree heat of Nevada and accidentally tasted the salty sea water of the California coast.

They slept in 7 different hotels and met a dozen of their favorite Disney characters.

We had our first In-N-Out burger experience and it was so good we did it again a few days later.

My Star Wars obsessed family got to enjoy all of the new Star Wars Themed rides and attractions at Disneyland (including Jedi Training for the kids).

But, can I be honest with you for a moment?

It is hard for my family to spend money on a vacation.  We are frugal to a fault, and it all feels a bit too extravagant. 

But I am so glad we did, because what we gained from the experience is something money can’t buy.

While we were busy creating memories, something magical happened.

I fell in love with my family all over again.  

I fell in love with my husband for his servant heart and strong desire to provide and protect.

I fell in love with my oldest daughter for her tender spirit and desire to make her mama proud.

I fell in love with my youngest daughter for her tenacity and sense of adventure.

And I fell in love with my Savior God for the unexpected blessings and constant protection.

This is not the family I was born into, it is the family I chose, and I am eternally grateful.

Each member of my family is an integral piece of our family puzzle, beautifully unique and absolutely necessary.

This vacation forced me to step away from the everyday and into the eternal.

It demanded my full attention and delighted each of my senses.

It restored my spirit and refreshed my soul.

It reminded me WHY we work so hard to be good parents to our girls, and showed me the beautiful fruits of our labor.

And, more than anything, it filled me with a sense of awe and gratitude for the incredible gift of being a Spirit-Filled Christian.

The hope and peace that we get to carry around inside of us is something the world will never know.

The wisdom and strength that comes from knowing we are loved and secure equips us to step out into the darkness and shine brightly for Him.

We don’t have it all figured out, but we know the One who does.

When I look at my husband and my girls, I see Jesus at work in their hearts, shaping and molding them into exactly what He created them to be.

Thank you, Father, for the gift of my family.  And for the work that you are doing in our hearts, preparing and equipping us for the unique calling that you have placed on each of our lives.  Please, don’t let the normalcy of daily living lull me back into a spiritual sleep.  Help me to remember the gratitude of this moment, the joyfulness of the journey and the beauty of each blessing.  Thank you for giving me a glimpse of the extraordinary that exists inside of each member of my family, help me to nurture and nourish it.  And most of all, thank you for stalling that elevator in Las Vegas so we were able to reclaim my seven-year-old daughter before she was swept up to the 35th floor.  This mother’s heart just couldn’t have handled it, but you already knew that, didn’t you?