"There's no place like...family!"

I love seeing FaceBook photos of families at the beach or at that exotic resort or at some fabulous amusement park, but Jolene and I vote for the mountains as our getaway place of choice. Like the Psalmist (in Ps. 121), we prefer lifting up our eyes "unto the hills." This family picture was taken recently in Ridgecrest, N.C. It features 22 of our 25. Ridgecrest and the surrounding area hold a lifetime of memories for us, and Melodye dreamed of having the entire family together there--and we almost made it! (Matt could not get leave from the military, Mary Kathryn was in her classes in Birmingham, and Colby was a late arrival from Auburn.) That gathering last week was a spiritual 'high' for us all, as well as a 'high time' near Black Mountain, North Carolina. COVID and Ridgecrest required our gatherings to be outdoors, and GOD provided the pleasant, sunny weather!

But the truth is, making memories is much more than a place. Lifelong memories are made by the people. It's not the ocean, or the amusement park, or some faraway places with strange-sounding names...or even a quaint 'Chimney Rock, N.C.' It's the interaction, conversation, laughter, tears, walks, meals, quiet times, worship, and games--as they say, "WITH"! It's the opportunities to be WITH each other that really does make a vacation memorable. It's the very obvious variety of generations, personalities, and viewpoints coming together in love and oneness that make any get-away a sacred memory.

So, whether you're 'stuck' right where you live and not sure if you'll be able to get away any time soon, or off on that dream vacation, I think you'll agree that it's not the PLACE that creates the precious memories, it's the PEOPLE. So that old adage, "There's no place like home," can be better expressed this way, "There's no place like FAMILY."

And whether it's the biological family, blended family, family of friends, or the church family...whether we gather on the porch or online...whether we're in the house or on the deck or doing FaceTime...whether we're talking in person or on a text--there's no place in the world like family; so let's make the most of every family get-together that any of us may have before us. "Memories are made of THIS."