Monica Got Married

The tropical breeze and gently crashing surf in front of us, the young couple stood together and the vows about to taken.  What an idyllic scene!  I sat there holding Debbie’s hand with Gab and Bec sitting to my right.  For that moment, things were great!

Life is busy.  It is good that I enjoy the work that I do, enjoy the volunteering, and enjoy most all of the things that fill my days.  I do not work with an eye to my next vacation and focus on where we are going to travel next.  We all remember the Eveready bunny that kept on going and going.  However, even the Eveready bunny must use up its battery’s life.  While in the midst of my daily routine, I do not always realize that I am wearing down, and need to recharge.

Monica got married.  The first few days we were saying, I cannot believe Monica’s getting married!  We were there as a family.  I make no bones about loving my family, being together and enjoying each other.  It has been two full years since we took a family vacation away.  Yes, I have been to Florida a lot this past 15 months, but these were not vacations – these were visits tending to a sick aunt, a quick visit to my father, and tending to him when he was sick.  Debbie and I had a few long weekends, but not a family vacation where we were off the grid.  This vacation, we were in Jamaica – off the mainland and not easy to contact to us - A true vacation.

We have known Monica and her family for a long time.  When she said they wanted to marry in Jamaica, we said we were in.  Not only to support her on her new adventure, but also to take a family vacation to somewhere we have not been to.  When the opportunity made itself available, we jumped at the chance to turn this into a family vacation. 

Being off the grid meant no work to pull me from the downtime, a chance to reacquaint ourselves together, and the time to recharge our batteries.  We had the chances to eat together, swim together, enjoy the swim up bar, and enjoy cocktails together.  We always enjoyed the vacation time when the girls were young; there is a clear difference spending time with them as adults.  Yes, it was great! 

After the completion of the ceremony, we turned our heads a noticed a rainbow in the sky - truly a wonderful symbol.  As our last morning approached, we looked back at the pool with the ocean beyond.  This was a beautiful place, where we got to watch two young people start their journey as a married couple, enjoyed some native foods, and most importantly, spent time as a family to relax and enjoy time together.  As the ensuing months come, I will keep in mind the importance of vacation and the opportunity to spend it with my family.