Well, all good things must eventually come to an end, and it looks like we will be leaving the nice sunny 70 degree weather for the frigid 20’s tonight. We were going to leave tomorrow, but there are three bowl games in Florida this afternoon, and I think that the traffic going north tomorrow afternoon will be terrible. So, I guess we will leave after dinner tonight and drive up as far as we feel like it, at least to Lake City, Fl before we stop to sleep. Then, tomorrow morning we should be ahead of most of the traffic. I’m not really looking forward to the drive back, but there is so much less stress compared with trying to get on an airplane this time of year.
It has been a great time with Jennifer, Sean and the girls. We have really enjoyed it and I hope the girls have had a good time. I know that they will enjoy getting their room back. Yesterday we had our first swim of the New Year. We got in the pool for a few minutes before sitting out in the sun for an hour or so. I also got in a 7 mile run through some very beautiful neighborhoods. Last night we watched “The Help”. We had seen it before, but it was just as good the second time.
The diet starts in earnest when we get home, this has been like a vacation, no time to diet when you are visiting family. So the workouts and training really begin. I’ve done well on the aerobics, and I am where I should be this week. But the weights have to pick up. My goal is to lose two pounds per week average. I know that some weeks will be more and some less, but I am really committed. I have to if I expect to be able to run 26 miles.
What I have seen and experienced these past few weeks with all the kids is the love and sense of belonging that family gives. I received that in Alaska, in Atlanta and here in Ft Lauderdale. Family gives you a sense of belonging, a place where you know that you are loved and accepted. At least it should. As we move into this new year, I can see why Bethel Atlanta is seeking to have a supernatural family. In your family you should feel safe. Safe to share even when you disagree because you know that you love each other. Safe to know that your dreams are encouraged and you get positive feedback. Yes, God’s plan is for us to thrive in families filled with love, joy and hope.
The enemy’s main tactic is to break up families and isolate individuals; once isolated we make easy targets. It’s like in the wild where the buffalo who strays from the herd is the one that gets picked off by the mountain lion. We have families for protection and it’s our job to nurture and love them. It’s too easy today to allow them to drift apart. I never thought that my family would be so scattered, but it is. We have to find ways to stay connected. That is why I think that “Facetime” is so important. We have to use all the technical advantages that we have to keep connected.
Well, it’s been a good time of connection here, but it must end. I’ll be sad to leave, at the same time life calls. Families are important, but we all have lives too. The key is still to live life in balance and harmony. Only through God can we achieve these both.
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