In a few short weeks my family and I will go away to the Adirondacks. Our first Johndrow vacation. Children and their children. On a lake with a boat and a beach.
So often in the world of Christianity, we have forgot the nature of having fun, times of respite and the over riding desire of family to be together. Continue reading Coming Soon – A Family Vacation!
Many years ago I was part of a canoe trip on Lake George. Lake George is 30 plus miles long. A large wind had kicked up and a storm had blown over the westerly side of the lake. The waves were easily 3 feet high and feeling like they were climbing. I was not worried abut drowning or getting injured, but I was worried about what would happen if the canoes capsized with the food in them, as well as our clothes and such. The wind increased and the waters whitened on the crest of the waves. Out of the fog and the mist appeared one of the Lake George steam ships. As it cut across in front of us, the wake got higher and higher. I could see the waves headed towards our 7 canoes. Above the roar of the waves and wind the counselors were screaming, “hit it at a 45 degree angle!!!” Everyone began to adjust their canoes. As canoes disappeared in the troughs of the waves, my thought was the food! Continue reading A Change In The Weather
The Blur Of July
As we hit the first day of July I am reminded of what it was like in my youth. My parents often planned our vacations to Schroon Lake and later our camping trips in the first few weeks of July. My birthday on the 3rd was always celebrated with nights of fireworks, it seemed. (Hey, one day later and they would have named me Samuel….think about that!)
When I was a child my mom often experimented with specialty cakes. One of my favorites was a drum cake she made. (Sometimes she made those ice cream cone cakes.) But whatever she made it made little difference! Sometimes we went to Frontier Town, Ausable Chasm, Catskill Game Farm and one year while in Connecticut, we celebrated on Powers Pond in Wallingford with the paddleboats.
July was always a month for vacations, boating, water skiing and more. When I was older I went to Keewaydin and celebrated on the shores of Lake Dunmore. Now, not only do we celebrate my birthday but also my daughter Amy and my wife Tina’s birthday. (My wife celebrates in the aftermath of my party with a quiet day on the ocean’s beach.)
I am excited not because it is “my birthday” but for many a year it has been a day of gathering friends and family around the barbecue. This year will be no different. From 10-4 this Saturday I will be blessed with the friends I have come to cherish and the family I adore. This year one of my greatest “presents” will be seeing my newest granddaughter Hannah Lynn. Over the years friends have visited from about the nation planning ministry and vacations that have included this day. I have friends that show from church and others who never have been in a church. They all are my friends. Over the years some have gone on to their reward and each year I reflect on the goodness of God in my life and the friends and family I do have.
I often sit and watch the conversations, the interactions and the relationships that are started or revisited. I believe this week to be no different. Friends and family, I look forward to seeing you.
