Making the most of your vacation with your family

Whether you drive to a beach resort or tent in the backyard, whether you visit the cousins or putter around the house, vacation time is a time of opportunity. Keeping with the spirit of recreation, here are some suggestions to help you make the most of that precious chunk of discretionary time.

1. Rediscover one another. A family-centered vacation provides opportunity to study and appreciate those we live with day after day. By spending a block of time together, we can renew our understanding of those special qualities that make our loved ones precious to us. So make time for conversation and fellowship. Open your heart and relate your feelings. Express love and appreciation. Share yourself. Just one word of caution: Sudden and prolonged togetherness can create problems of its own. Temper it with some breathing room and opportunities for privacy for each family member.
   
2. Broaden your horizons. Turning off your brain and planting your body in front of the TV for a solid week will rob you of many vacation benefits. Instead of taking the lazy wau out, why not use these special days to ease yourself out of some old ruts? Expand the borders of your life by doing something you've never done before. Visit a place you've never seen. Be adventurous. use your vacation to enrich and improve yourself. Spend some of that spare time with good books. delve into the classics. Attend a cultural event.
3. Allow opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual renewal. Schedule time for just you and God. Take a long walk in the early morning and enjoy the sunrise. Go out into the stillness of the night and view the stars. Meditate on God's grace and goodness. Let His Spirit refresh you.
4. Remember your church. Though your vacation may take you away from regular church services, you can continue to support your family with prayer. When you visit another church on your vacation, look for new ideas that can enrich your home church.
   
   
5. Relax. If you return to work or school exhausted and tense, your vacation has been a flop. So whatever you do, lie back and soak in some sunshine. Breathe deeply. Don't overplan or overplay. rest your body, mind, and spirit.

Recreation means re-creation. And that's what a good vacation can give you. With a little planning and discipline, you may return home renewed, refreshed, and ready to begin a new chapter of perosnal and family life.