I don't normally get a vacation in the summer. Sure, I get a few days off from school when I'm not answering panicked emails about IEPs or schedules, but a full on, pack your bags, stop the mail, unplug the coffee pot, and lock the door behind you vacation, not very often. Since The Hubby is a medical administrator there are days he has to be on site. Add the on-call days where he has to stay close and his vacation window gets pretty narrow. Plus, the kids are all on different schedules, so coordinating anything with them is worse than trying to get worms to lie in a straight line. Needless to say, while everyone else gets to post pictures of the beach or the mountains and regale us with their adventures in line to see giant cartoon characters, I continue to battle the mosquitoes and weeds in my own backyard.
Occasionally, the beginning of the school calendar will fall just right and I can take advantage of the wondrous phenomenon known as The World's Longest Yard Sale. It always falls on the first Thursday-Sunday in August (which, coincidentally also happens to be around my birthday). Most years I am stuck in pre-planning (sometimes even the first days of school) and cannot attend this incredible event. This year I got a little bit lucky.
The sale begins in Gadsden, Alabama, goes up US Highway 127, and ends somewhere in Canada. My parents happen to live near a small portion of this route, so if I am only blessed with a one day attendance, I will usually travel this area. This time, I was lucky enough to get two days (had to be back in town on Saturday for senior band pictures), so The Cinderella, The Parents, and I packed up the camper and headed north.
(Rabbit Trail: Picture, if you will, four adult sized human beings in a small camper intended to house only two. Continue to picture those same four beings traveling approximately 400 miles in 48 hours, in intense traffic, with limited "facilities." It literally redefines the phrase "up close and personal.")
The trip is like nothing you can ever imagine. You have to experience it to really appreciate the grandeur and the eccentricity that this weekend brings to the forefront of the American psyche. Sure, there were the typical "one man's junk" items but there were also incredibly beautiful antiques and delightfully odd and eclectic works of art. Right next to the five dollar tub of children's books sat a stuffed and mounted wild boar. Across from a vintage 1969 Volkswagen Beetle was a pile of bones that I dearly hope came from some four-legged animal rather than from the two-legged variety. Down the road was a lady selling metal yard art including a giant chicken. It was wonderful.
However, it didn't really matter what oddities I saw. The best part of the entire trip was the fact that I got an entire uninterrupted 48 hours with The Parents.
I don't usually get that opportunity. With three sisters, their offspring, and my own family unit, time spent with my mom and dad is mostly loud and chaotic. Not that I don't deeply love my extended family. I do, very much. I just enjoy those brief, minute moments of peace and quiet even more.
That 48 hours was not filled with any deep, meaningful, solve-the-questions-of-the-universe conversation. We didn't make any future plans on who gets what heirloom nor were there any disclosures on where the secret treasure was buried. Most of the comments were limited to, "You have to speak up when you want your Daddy to stop," "I really need a shower," and "No, you can't buy the 25-foot chicken." But, it was the best time we've had in a long time and I, for one, am incredibly thankful.
I suppose that is what God feels like when he gets our undivided attention for any length of time. When we set aside our schedules and just focus on him. We don't need to spend every day trying to solve problems or answer the deep questions of the universe. We just need to pay attention the Creator of the universe. That's worth way more than any giant metal chicken!
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| Can I have a big chicken? |
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| Please tell me they're not human? |
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| Yep, it's real. |
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| Are you my mummy? |
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| I'm not even sure. |
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| There are just no words. |
