DAY 60: Just Reflecting....

DAY 60:  August 28, 2010

  

About a week ago, as we were camping in a small KOA Campground in Red Lodge, Montana, I experienced something one morning that really touched me.  After "spying" on a family of four camping behind us for about half an hour, I decided to write down what I was seeing and feeling; mostly for my own benefit to help me remember the moment.......And then I promptly grabbed my phone and took a picture through the window screen!  I thought I'd share that with you today.

You know, as I'm sitting in my nice comfortable motorhome bed this morning, I'm looking out the window on my side of the bed watching a family of 4, plus one very cute dog, camping in their tent across the road from us.  They have one small tent, a picnic table, a few chairs and a fire pit.  As I'm "spying" on them, I see two kids, probably in age around 9 and 7, who aren't playing video games, barbies or sitting around grumbing cause they have no TV....nope, I see the 9 year old boy triying to make "something" out of stuff it looks like he found here in the campground....sticks, logs, rocks, etc.....he is mesmorized by his findings and is as content as can be.  I see the 7 year old little girl "frolicking" around from the tent to the chair to the truck just happy that she is someplace with her Mom and Dad and brother.....she doesn't seem to miss not having her toys or her TV....And then I see Mom and Dad.  Dad is busy going back and forth from the rear of the SUV to the picnic table where he is fixing breakfast for the family while Mom is busy in the tent straightening up.  The dog; well the dog is just happy to sit and watch everything that I am watching.  The little girl finally grabbed its leash and took it for a walk along the creek, skipping the entire time.

What truly touched me is how well this family is getting along......now, I"m sure they have their moments...just like the rest of us, but this family has no idea anyone is watching them, yet they are working and playing together as a "team".....you can see they truly care for each other by the way they hug and touch each other, and are so happy to be away from their hectic city lives and just happy to all be together.  This is a family that appears, by all outside appearances, to have a very comfortable life away from the campground.  They are driving an expensive SUV, they are wearing nice designer label clothes, yet they are spending their last weekend before school starts living in a $29.99 tent, sitting in $9.99 chairs and wouldn't have had it any other way.  I am touched.

So, I guess what I'm rambling on and on about is that when our everyday life gets to be too much for us and we find ourselves overwhelmed by "circumstances", maybe, just maybe, we might want to take a page from this sweet family's book.....pack up the family or spouse, or just ourselves, and visit the simpler side......stop by Wal-Mart first and pick up that cheap tent and chairs, a bit of food (and don't forget the marshmellows!), and run away from our "circumstances" and remind ourselves what is truly important; each other and communion with God.  Now, if I were in Texas right now, I think I would head for the hills of Arkansas or someplace cooler for sure, but just grab the family and sleep on the ground next to each other for a night or so.......the kids may grumble and hate it at first, but they'll come around......it's time to "reconnect".

Now, I have to admit; I feel a tinge of "guilt" sleeping in my comfortable motorhome while writing about the simpler things and encouraging everyone to sleep in a tent.  But I also have to admit, I felt a a sense of "inspiration" from this family......It's kinda like this barbed wire fence behind our RV.....one single strand of wire won't keep much bad out; but together, with all strands twisted and clinging to each other, it can keep all the "bad" out and all the "good" safely protected.

I hope I never forget this........