My family has been on a vacation this week. It’s been super and different. We’re still a foursome, just not the same foursome I’m used to. I’m missing my spouse; my eldest has added his. Still, in the midst of these random thoughts that hit at odd times, we’re having fun.
Our second night was just one example, as I was driving us home from dinner at a local restaurant. We were so excited to eat there and had sufficiently over stuffed ourselves. The drive back was taking too long, and my youngest was making me laugh. I could hardly see to drive or hold my supper in by the time we pulled up to our condo. Laughter is always good for the soul.
As I sat on the beach earlier that day, I watched my two boys lying stomach-down in the ocean, faces to the horizon. I wondered at their conversation. Were they sharing memories of past beach vacations, common grief, or simply dreaming of their next project and what the future might bring?
It’s not a mother’s place to know, but I turned to my daughter-in-law, happy to finally have a girl in our party, and said, “I hope they will always have each other.” She agreed, knowing that her husband needed his brother, just as she needed her sisters. Siblings are those with whom we have a bond no one else can share, and my boys have a unique one of life abroad, foreign languages, and even engineering.
So, as the years go by and vacations change, I thank the Lord for my two boys, now men, but always brothers.
Grace and Peace