The Force of the Fire

If you feel like my husband and are “kinda sick of hearing about the steps,” I’m done counting them! At least until Memorial Day. I reached my goal of 760,000 steps on Friday. Thanks for putting up with me!

We just returned from a great week with the family – if I counted right, 23 of us vacationed together. This in no way included all of us. We missed those who couldn’t be there, but every sibling’s family was represented one way or another.

Being one of six kids (I’m the fifth), we rented all the cottages in a small resort just south of Mackinaw City. This is something we try to do every-other year, though this is our first troll country vacation (Michigan’s Lower Peninsula). The time of year was perfect. We had great weather, and the fudgy crowd (tourists) was way down as compared to the traffic around the 4^th of the July.

Ah, the memories!

There are some things our clan does on vacation that we never really thought about but that allow us to maximize our time together. I’ll share the list with you in case it helps you with your next family get-together.

My mom and dad left us a rich heritage when they passed away. They always said that their greatest reward was watching all six children accept Christ as their savior and serve Him consistently in their respective communities. I won’t say we always agree, but our foundation is the same. We are all Christ-followers. We are all conservative. Our views of the world, of life, and of culture are very similar. But I think my list will help you, even if you find yourself in different circumstances:

Space –

• Being around family is great, but nobody can be around somebody all the time without going crazy and taking the craziness out on another member of the family. Make sure everyone has a place to retreat to.
• Sometimes different members of the clan are fine with having you tag along for their planned activity of the day, and sometimes they’d prefer to do the activity with just their smaller family nucleus. Either way, respect it.

Time –

• On vacation, no one should try to fit into anyone else’s schedule. I happen to be an early-to-bed-early-to-riser, and this didn’t change on vacation. I naturally arose between 5:30 and 7:00 and headed to the nearest Burger King to make notes on napkins just like at home. (No! Mackinaw City doesn’t have a McDonalds…can you believe it?!?) Other folks in the clan preferred to sleep in and then tidy their cottage. There is no wrong way.
• We ended almost every day with a campfire, striking the first match at about 8:00 for early-to-bedders like me. People came and went as they saw fit, exchanging stories and sharing laughs. And there was always another log to put into the pit.

Stuff –

• Offer what you have as you see the need. Set the tone of giving and of looking out for one another. I assembled two pounds of hamburgers and a big batch of chili before I left home so that I didn’t have to worry about bringing all the spices with me. I had plenty to share, and people who didn’t feel like cooking after the drive and setting up camp appreciated it.
• No one’s going to remember everything for a week like this. Typically people come with extra of this or that and forget other things. Any one of my family would give me his last nickel if I needed it, but I wouldn’t take something or use something that belongs to someone else without permission.

Expectations –

• Kids can be gross. Don’t expect them to act like adults. They may carry a dead fish around for awhile, hoping to get a rise out of others. They may see nothing wrong with picking their scoop of ice cream up off the ground and sticking back it on the cone. Roll with it. And relish the memories.
• Don’t judge other family members who see things differently from you. Enjoy the debate, but leave it there. Don’t let heated exchanges hamper future conversations.

Traditions –

• I already talked about the fireside chats, but I can't not talk about it under "traditions," can I? I think campfires should be a part of every family get-together, no matter the time of year, no matter the venue. There is a force in the fire; you can almost see it. As the sparks rise and the almost indiscernable smoke wraps around you, you are drawn closer than before you pulled up a chair. Your bond, your resolve, becomes stronger. And you rise knowing you are a better person than when you first drew near the embers. 
• Typically meals are on our own, but we do come together for the last supper of the week with pot luck and a fish fry. This gives everyone a chance to clean out the fridge before heading home. And for a bunch of people who said, “Gee, we really don’t have anything left…we're not sure what to bring,” we put together quite a spread.

We have a little line we use at work…Honoring the sacredness of every soul…I think that applies to family get-togethers. Accept. Respect. Love. Honor. The Moore clan does that pretty well.

Enjoy your day. Enjoy this blog.