Home for the Holiday

In the past forty-eight hours I have reunited with my parents and brother’s family, have enjoyed a day skiing, caroled in a flash-mob,  have spoken to old friends on the phone and have enjoyed a family tradition that strives successfully to live on despite growing numbers.

 

I love my family and, regardless of how much time we spend apart, it always feels as though when we come together nothing has changed.  Kids are older, new ones are born, jobs change, people move, but through it all we are still a family.  We are deeply in love with one another and celebrate the times we can share in fellowship.  Although I do not, in the slightest, miss northwest Ohio / southeast Michigan, I sincerely miss my family.

 

I haven’t skied in three years, the last time being a family trip to Whistler, but it felt like I’d gone just last week.  The smell of the trees, the feel of the wind against my face and the sound of my skis cutting the snow beneath them was invigorating.  I love getting up early just to put on comfy clothes, spend the day being adventurous in the cold, eating lunch by the fire, exploring God’s landscape, and then returning to the room to shower and relax in more comfy clothes.  I do believe that a good ski trip is nearer to Heaven than the average vacation!

 

Spending time bonding with family whilst doing something everyone enjoys is an opportunity that more people should have and no one should pass up.  Even the discussion of life’s most difficult challenges seems so much easier and pure in that setting.  Life itself clarifies right before you.  Take a breath, feel the chill of the air in your lounges, close your eyes and listen to the beating of your heart and the chirping of the birds.  Exhale and open your eyes, let the world come into high definition focus and smile … you’re alive and God has blessed you in many ways.  That’s how I feel on the slopes with my family.  I love it.

 

Davis Christmases, as alluded to in prior posts, are something of a spectacle to behold.  This year’s was wonderful.  We were short a few members: McNeal Family, M. Hopper Family, J. Hopper Family and N. VanHoose Family; but spirits were high nonetheless.  

 

I’m posting a few pictures and will discuss more of the event later, but I’ve described the day before and the rest is like one big 60 year old inside joke!  So much laughter and circumstance, it’s hard to explain … it’s just something you have to experience.

 

Well, it’s late and I’m off to bed.  Tomorrow I venture to Dayton, OH followed by Columbus, OH and then back to BG, OH.  I’ll write again soon.

God Bless You All.

SA&LC,

Ryan