The fire spat another ember out on the grass and I watched it slowly fade. The burning logs dropped causing a beautiful display of orange and amber sparks to fly upward. The three of us kids inched closer to catch the warmth of the blazing campfire on a cool evening. Even though it was a summer night, the sun had descended leaving a bit of chill in the air.
“Who wants smores?” Mom said.
“I do!” We all yelled simultaneously.
The thought of melting chocolate with a gooey toasted marshmallow between graham crackers made my mouth water. I licked my lips in anticipation.
Our family vacationed a lot in the summer. My dad normally had a few weeks off in a row and we took that time to travel. We drove from Riverview, New Brunswick all the way to Powell River, British Columbia one summer. Another trip was to Nashville, Tennessee with our friends the Smiths. We would pack up the car, hitch up the tent trailer, and be on our way.
Wherever we went, you could be assured of one thing. We had fun and lots of it!
Yes, of course, there were fights amongst us kids. What do you expect when you cram three kids in the back seat of a car for long periods of time? And I always was stuck in the middle seat because I’m the youngest. Who made that rule anyway? Probably my brother Murray. haha!
“Are we there yet?” I asked. “I’m hot.”
“Stop complaining,” Sue said.
Murray kept his nose in a book.
Soon we started poking each other. “Mom,” I said. “They’re picking on me.”
My whiny voice caught her attention and she grabbed the wooden spoon (yes, she brought it with her on our trips) and shook it at us. “Do you want a spankin’ kids?”
“No,” we said as we hung our heads.
Soon we arrived at our next destination (not soon enough for me, the squished one in the middle seat!)—tired, hot and cranky. Dad and Mom would get the trailer set up as we played in the park.
Aaawww, I think back to those days and smile. The times we shared as a family were precious. Our parents took the time to spend with their children. They taught us by their actions—family was special and important.
Do we do that today in this fast-paced world? Or are we too busy trying to keep up with the “Joneses” of the world? I’m sorry to say we probably all do it at one time or another. We must remember to put our families first and spend time with them. It’s priceless.
Mom labored hard on the “quality time” row of her quilt. She knew each stitch was important. She wanted her kids to see how precious it was, so when they were ready, they would pass it on. Dad helped turn the quilt so she could begin stitching the next phase of her legacy quilt.
TWEETABLE
Some of my best memories were made while taking the kids on family vacations. We still try to do that today even as they are older. It helps to bond the family
Yes, absolutely. Totally agree with you Kim. We had the best time on family trips. Thanks for stopping by! God bless.