Thursday, June 2, 2011

Time Away

Good Morning!  What a wonderful Thankful Thursday!  This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend.  It is the 'unofficial' start to the summer and it is always, for the past 13-14 years anyway, our (my hubby and I) first 'bike' trip of the year.  We go to Eureka Springs, Arkansas every year on our Gold Wing.  We love to ride and getting away from town just makes it that much better.  Arkansas is one of the most beautiful states to ride.  I think I've said before that I would rather ride than anything else.  When you are on a motorcycle, driving or riding, you see God's beautiful creation in a whole new way.  There is nothing like it.

Well, this year marked the 3rd anniversary of our 'bike wreck.'  I will be posting about that as a guest host on my beautiful mama's blog, Who is God?, later this week.  It is an amazing story of God's mercy and healing!  Please be sure to check it out.  For what ever reason, this year, I was a little apprehensive about the trip.  I didn't tell anyone...not even Jim.  But, I just gave it over to God and determined that I was going to enjoy this time away with the man that I love.  And I am so glad that I didn't let the enemy have a foothold.  It was an amazing trip.  It was one of the best that we've had in a long while.  Now, we've been married for almost 35 years so our 'arguments' are mostly just short little disagreements and then they are over.  There isn't yelling and screaming like when we were young.  Usually, when we get time away, we will have a spat or two.  This time, NOTHING!  It was grand.

I know that Jenifer has posted on dating your spouse and she is so right.  We MUST continue our relationship with our spouse from day one all the way to the last breath we take on this earth.  Jim and I have always done this and I truly believe it has made a difference in our lives.  Time away with your spouse is vital to the health of your marriage.  Time away by your self is vital to your general well-being.  Time away from everything and spent with God is vital to your spiritual well-being!  Now for me, time away by myself isn't going out of town or anything.  I have plenty of time by myself for which I am very thankful.  But it is my time away with Jim that I treasure most.  I also treasure any time away that I get to spend with my family.  For several years we have been fortunate enough to do a family float trip with Jim's side of the family.  Not everyone gets to go - he has many brothers and sisters - but the ones that do get to go have a great time.  It's an amazing time to re-connectt with family that we don't see on a regular basis even though we live in the same city.  Besides the 'annual' float trip, there have been several years that one or more of my amazing 4 kids and their families have gotten to go on vacation with us.  That is my most precious of times away!  In fact, in September, 2 of my daughters and their families will be vacationing with us!  I am so thankful for that.  Our time together will be amazing.  It will be sad in a way but only because my son and his family and my youngest daughter will not be able to be there.  But I won't let that keep me from enjoying the time with the others.  Any time spent with family is something to be thankful for. 

Time away is so very important!  I encourage you to plan some time away...with your spouse alone...with your family...all by yourself.  This time away doesn't have to be a big trip, it only needs to be some time...time that you spend with the people that God has blessed you with.  Be thankful for the people in your life and be thankful for the opportunity to spend time with them.  And most importantly, spend time with your Creator!  He deserves time with you...one on one.  Listen to Him, talk to Him...just love on Him and let Him love on you.  You might find that He has something specific and special to say to you!

God bless,

4 comments:

  1. Oh, Debi, I love this post! We've had a rough time starting last year and still going on... my husband's business has kept him VERY busy and it's been tough. But, God has given us as a family the opportunity to travel away for an extended period this summer and I am so grateful to be able to steal away with them. My husband will still be working, but we'll be closer to where he travels and in a beautiful place that I am certain will lift our spirits and do a work in our hearts. I can hardly wait, your post just made me even more excited! I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip with your husband! Blessings!

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  2. Time away is so important, whether with your spouse, family, a friend or alone. It is a time to get out of that regular routine and just breath for a second. I love our family float trip, our vacation time, date nights, or even just taking a walk alone. Great post.

    I am also so thankful that you have fully recovered from the accident. I remember the call and was so terribly horrified. Each year I catch myself holding my breath on that Memorial Day. But I don't have to because you are in God's hands.

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  3. Time away is important, but it's something we haven't had in a long time. We need to be more purposeful about this and schedule something.

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  4. Debi, I just got to read your post. What an awesome post! When we got the call when you and Jim had the wreck my heart skipped beats. I just had to give it to the Lord as I couldn't handle it by myself. Even Ken was beside himself. Our time should be spent with God and the ones we love. When you, Jim, Dad, and I took the trip on the bikes it was such a wonderful trip and we got to have that time. Praise the Lord. A wonderful and beautiful post. Thanks and blessings to you, Sissy and love you.

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