Post vacation 2022 thoughts

Anna, the girls, and I recently made a summer voyage to our home state of Michigan to visit with family and friends. We are never able to see all the people we would love to see, or do the things we would like, but we are able to stay connected, to some of the people and places that we love. 

This trip was a first-in-a-while for us; there were only four of us traveling together. Until a year ago we had been a family of 6. This summer our eldest, Moses, is married and living in Kentucky. Asa, our second, is staying with Anna's folks and working for the summer. That means it was the girls and I, headed out for a fun filled adventure, especially centered around exploring coffee shops and ice cream places.

Thinking of Ice Cream. The girls counted our days and discovered that we had ice cream all but one day of our trip. They decided on the return trip they were done with ice cream for a while. One thing I noticed along the way - ice cream shops are believers in happiness, and that ice cream is a delivery mechanism for happiness. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen someone sobbing in an ice cream shop. 

One of the joys of our trip was that our parents are retired and we were able to spend some spacious time with them. Along the way they recounted good stories about times that were either before our time or when we were too young to remember. 

My dad recalled some of his young days as a farmer, when he built a certain barn and he was feeding pigs. A fungus got on the corn he raised and the pigs would not eat it. He had to import grain from a feed mill to get his pigs ready for market. After that year he switched to raising cattle. Cattle were less picky about corn.

My father-in-law recounted a story of when he was living in Chicago and he had a gun pulled on him. He was taking his brother to the train station and some local dudes, known to the police, decided to have a tiff on the street. His brother, sitting in the back seat of the car found a toy gun and pointed it at the locals. Eventually they were all taken to the police station. The police said, the local dudes were well known for wild shenanigans and were in the precinct often. They sent my father-in-law on his way. He said he stayed off that street for two years.    

One of the things we realized (again), is that our existence and the lives we have are remarkable signs of God's providence. There are so many times, in our lives, in the lives of our parents and forebears that our very existence could have been snuffed out. Yet God, and the angels have been hovering, providing, protecting, guiding, to bring life into existence. 

I look at the picture of the coffee cup at the end of this post, and I wonder if this should be the theme that babies encounter when they come into the world: This is a happy place! 

Nephew Owen sharing some of his wisdom at Refuge Coffee House in Quincy, MI. I was never able to grow my hair as long as his when I was in high school. 

My girls said they had never spent much time exploring Hillsdale, MI. Anna and I decided to take them to town. We showed them Hillsdale College, found a cool coffee shop, and, at the urging of my dad, went to Dairy Queen. Aravis got a dipped cone to go with her shirt. I love the sign - "Welcome to Happiness." 

With Anna's sister, Sara, and family. We hung out at the beach in Ludington, MI. Walked to the lighthouse, went to House of Flavors, and then returned to the beach to watch the sunset. Here's a view of our crew at House of Flavors. 

At House of Flavors, primarily an ice cream shop, they also believe in happiness. The message on this cup could reverberate in many places and the world would be a better place.