A Little R & R

Okay, Blogger is NOT cooperating tonight, and it's late. So, pics come first.

Look who caught the 1st fish!

Abby and Jeff in school. Jackie is doing laundry:)

Look, Daddy! I'm fishin'

Just look what smiles a few worms, chicken livers and barefeet can bring:)

Still on the mend and needing some time away, the kids and I decided to get away for a few days. So with my precious husband's approval, we packed up our clothes, toys, and school books and headed to Alabama to camp with Grandpa and Grandma in their RV. Nothin' to do but eat, fish, play games, eat, sleep, ride bikes, eat, go nature walking, and oh yeah...... did I mention eat? Seriously, have you ever noticed how good the food is when you go camping?

The R & R began immediately upon arrival. The kids began fishing with Grandpa, and Grandma and I began preparing lunch. The meal was simple, just some sandwiches, chips, pickles, and fresh fruit. We ate every morsel:) Even after our hearty lunch and despite all the snacking throughout the day, we were all famished at supper time.

Now, when I cook at home, I always plan to over fix so that Chuck can have leftovers for lunch. However, when you're camping, it's a little different. Even though my parents' RV has a refrigerator in it, space is still limited. In fact, most of the time when you go camping, the only storage for your food is in the coolers you bring. You have to keep checking to make sure the food stays cool and does not spoil. For this reason, you try to fix only what you can eat at each meal with few or no leftovers. The kids seemed to anticipate each meal, as if they hadn't eaten for a week. Everyone ate outside together in the fresh air, and savored every bite.

So why is the food so much better when you're away from home? Could it be the fresh air, or maybe the change in scenery? Possibly the fact there are no outside distractions, like TVs, telephones, video games, or errands to run. I think it's a combination of all of them. When your camping, there are so many new adventures, "chores," and activities that you are experiencing; your body gets hungry, seriously hungry. When you're that hungry, food tastes good!

Just as sandwiches and fruit are satisfying to our stomachs; God's Word is satisfying to our souls. With the daily distractions of "life" at home, it's easy to put off the responsibility we have to feed our souls with truth. "Danger, Danger Will Robinson." Be careful. We must be diligent to saturate our souls and thoughts with Christ like attitudes. "Finally, Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

While camping, I am feeding my body great, healthy food (ok, and a few snacks). Out here, food is not an after thought, it's an event to be carefully planned. So should our souls' meals be planned. We need to carve out time to satisfy them; daily Bible reading, prayer, meditation of the Scriptures, and audio sermons are just a few ways. Though grabbing snacks during the day are great to keep us level (like quick articles and 5 minute devotions), we can't expect them to keep us healthy and satisfied. We must feast on the the meat God has prepared for us. "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

So, next time you go camping, don't forget to pack your toys, games, and snacks. But more importantly, pack the one thing that will keep you satisfied, The Living Word of God.

Stay tuned for pictures:)