We just spent some time with a large rodent. Yes, our family just returned home from a week at Disney World. Eighteen of us. In one house. With six children aged six to 20 months. It was so much fun and I ended the week with dozens of new memories to store in my heart.
Friends, life is hectic—and if we don’t watch it, we get caught up in responsibilities and miss the blessings of family time. All my adult children also have busy lives, and we’ve discovered we have to be intentional about making those times together happen. Here are a few things we’ve learned:
- Someone has to get the ball rolling.
- Start planning way ahead of time, before schedules get overloaded.
- Share the responsibilities, but plan the trip together. That’s part of the fun and will provide extra memories and bonding time.
Our Disney trip was special on many levels. There was the excitement of seeing the characters, awesome shows, rides, parades and fireworks. There were oh-so-yummy foods and somebody saying “I want a bite” whenever we bought a croissant, donut or some other delicious treat. There were priceless times of young cousins and adult siblings spending time together.
One moment in particular stuck in my heart while we were at the Festival of the Lion King show. The little ones watched the action with awe as the cast in monkey suits tumbled and somersaulted across the platform.
And I watched the show in front of me, love overwhelming me as I looked at those precious little faces. And, then, as I saw the sweet expressions on the faces of my sons and daughters-in-law, I bit back tears as I watched them watching their children.
So many memories flooded my mind. Wasn’t it just yesterday that Paul and I took our three little boys to Disney World? Wasn’t it just a few years before then that my daddy took me to Orlando to see Mickey and Minnie?
In the midst of all the laughter and acrobatics, I whispered a prayer thanking God for the blessing of family time, for the sweet memories that bind all of us together.
Yes, it’s a lot of work getting ready for a trip like this, and it’s sometimes a sacrifice to come up with the money, but there are so many benefits from trips together as a family.
It’s fun. Family time provides wonderful photos that can be pulled out and enjoyed for years. It makes memories together that only your family will have.
And it provides a unique bonding time that won’t be experienced in any other way. One of my favorite parts of the trip occurred in the mornings when all the grandbabies piled onto my bed to snuggle and talk with me. Moments like that are precious beyond words.
Make time to enjoy the blessings of family. The memories will be like super-glue for all of you, priceless moments that are truly a gift from God.
