Sometimes the inconvenience is the thing we are needing…though understandably, it doesn’t feel like that in the moment. I’ve had practice at this as a homeschool mom…there has been many an afternoon history tea time sabotaged by toddler invaders. But in those moments, I learned (sometimes painfully) that instead of history lessons perhaps we were all in need of a lesson in love, in patience, and in taking joy in the stage that each little one is in.

Maybe that was the lesson.

This time around, the inconvenience was a bit gruesome: stomach flu on vacation. Instead of sunshine, sand, and waves - all interspersed with a dash of Mickey Mouse magic, our week in Orlando was characterized with headaches, vomit, and dizziness.

We had one day of Disney…and then bam! It was all over.

Luckily, and unluckily, it hit one kid at a time. Which means the cleanup was manageable, but the onslaught persisted as it traveled from child to child. Also unluckily, I found myself outrageously outnumbered. Being one keen on adventure from time to time, the kids and I put our jet-setter hats on and boarded the plane, while Lance graciously agreed to stay back at the farm, keeping the home fires roaring and hoping to catch some rare quietness for his introvert personality. This trip, I sure got some adventure!

Though we were looking for fun and refreshment, our trip took a different course. And looking back, it wasn’t necessarily all bad. The inconvenience of being sick did take its toll on fun. But it replaced it with a valuable lesson and experience of working as a team. In a team, when one player is down the whole team feels it. Others step up to fill that role. We had to work through feelings of disappointment, and step up to the plate laden with compassion, loyalty, and love. I’m not trying to paint this in a rosy color - we certainly had our expressions of disappointment, and kids had their moments of meltdown. Not everyone was well-behaved all the time. But everyone did have to look inside and be willing to accept flexibility, forego expectations, and honor each other. We had to re-focus and evaluate what it means to be a team. And that is beyond valuable. It’s memorable, and it’s defining. Fun is fun, and it’s fun to look back upon fun memories; but these lessons rooted deeper in our hearts, and I do believe their season will extend beyond this trip.

These are the moments that families are made of. Not picture-perfect. But very real.

We have headed onto the Atlanta area, and the mountains of Northern Georgia. Beautiful country. The last of the sickness is finally waning off and we hope to finish out our trip with our health intact. Today we spent time marveling at the amazing creation all around us. And we did it as a team.

Inconveniences are welcome (sort of)

Honey, I love you. A Valentine’s Day look at some real benefits of raw honey.

The simple joy of a simmering supper