The fact is, I hate vacations. Always have. Even as a youngster. Please don't be offended by this, but to me they are a complete waste of time. I took a week off back in 2019 and it was awful. In 2020 we had the pandemic and there was so much to do as we learned how to do the videos and then worked on recovery from the pandemic. No vacation, and I felt I had dodged the bullet. 2021 I managed to miss three Sundays due to illness and I didn't take a vacation then, either. I just counted those three Sundays as vacation time. In fact, the week in the hospital in July 2021 was much more relaxing than the week of vacation in 2019. So, since that week in 2019, I hadn't really taken a vacation. I had slipped away for a day or two. In January 2020 I took three days during the week and went to Pittsburgh to do the funeral of my foster daughter's husband, then I took a couple of days to see a sick friend in the hospital in Cleveland and a couple of weeks later took two days and go and do his funeral, and I took a couple of days to go see my month old grandbaby. But vacations are the pits.

     My son also hates vacations, and for the same reason I do. A waste of times. However, his work insists he take a vacation. I have gotten some flak in the church about not taking time (I think people just want to be rid of me for a short while). So, when my son called me and told me he had a week off the first full week of September and he was going to come here, I told him no, I would take a week off and go there. After agreeing once again that vacations are terrible, we hung up. I cleared the week with the Board, and then I waited.

    Finally the day came. No excitement here. Load the car, slip on the sunglasses and off I go. Arrive at my motel room. Dump the load in my car and head over to my son's place. It was nice to drive in the town where I ministered the longest and where my son grew up, but there were important things to do back in Urbana. That is where I minister now and where life is important. I pulled into my son's drive and he came out to help me up the steps (young twit acts like I am old). In the house I walked into a room where my granddaughter was sitting and playing. Nine months old. I hadn't seen her since she was a month old, which is a literal life time for her. She looked up at me. I expected her to draw back. She didn't know me. She has the biggest blue eyes ever, and she fixed those eyes on me. Her face lit up in a smile and she reached up to be held. Once in my arms her little face got close to mine, always smiling. I really felt she was happy to see me again.

    Best vacation ever.

    I spent time with my son, had some talks with my daughter-in-law, Marsha was there and we talked. But Kiri was the fun part. She smiled every time I saw her. I held her, I talked to her, I let her rearrange my face. I actually felt bad when I drove away. But I felt good, too. Amazing what a little girl can do for your mindset. 

    I know my health has kept me from being the Pastor I should be. It is so frustrating to not just get up and go and do. But, I have a granddaughter who apparently thinks I am pretty cool. I don't trust myself to reach down and pick her up, but she doesn't care. I am her Grandpa Indy and I am pretty neat.

    Best vacation ever.