spring. break.

I remember being in school as a kid absolutely loving spring break. Spring break was a time of such excitement; it felt so fresh and freeing to have a reprieve from school. I loved piling into the car with the family to head out to the lake cabin. We would spend the week prepping the cabin for the summer use, gathering the fallen debris that had accumulated during the long winter months. All bundled up, dodging ticks and trees, my siblings, our dog, Kristi, and I would run up and down the hill along the shore, getting into everything we could find, exploring all we could. Playing for hours on end came so easy, stopping only for lunch.

When I think about these adventures, it evokes strong emotions of those cool damp days. We would use a pocketknife to sharpen the tips of our trophy hot dog roasting sticks as we warmed ourselves by the roaring fire. Each one of us kids was always convinced we had discovered the best "coal oven" for cooking, we would dance around the fire pit trying out each one as the gray sky would smile down on us with spontaneous rays of sunshine. After the hot dog cook off, we would make ourselves sick on marshmallows, trying to make the perfect s'more.

I cherish these memories and every time I smell wood burning it transports me back to those days. What I loved most about spring breaks at the lake was the time we had to be together as a family and completely indulge in our imaginations. It was so nice to have the time to be renewed not only with family, but with God through nature and relationships. Still to this day when I am in need of renewal and some face time with God, family and nature are where I go and on days like today, I remember spring break.