My Eight and a Half Hour Vacation

I have to tell you about my vacation this weekend! Today I had the best vacation I've had for a long time ... and it lasted only eight and a half hours! Eight and a half hours of a very intense vacation, but I am renewed and energized (although not physically), just because of my morning!

This weekend was the Ontario Sing at our church. I don't know how many years this Sing has been an event, but I know that it's been an annual weekend gathering for our churches in Ontario for many years. It's been held in our Windsor church ever since I've been married, but this year with our new church building, we hosted it. I'm not sure why we still call it the Ontario Sing because it's not just for our Ontario churches anymore, but it seems to be open to anyone who wants to come practice with 100-200 other people to perform a choir program on Sunday afternoon. I didn't hear any final counts as to how many people were actually in attendance this weekend, but I know that we served around 900 for lunch today and many people didn't even stick around for lunch because of the crowd!

So why did I have the best vacation in ages this morning? Well, simply because I was on the cooking committee for lunch today! I was picked up this morning at 7:45 to be at church by 8:00 to start the preparations for this mass feeding that we were going to be doing at noon. That was the beginning! I worked hard this morning. It was HOT and STEAMY in that kitchen, even with the muggy breezes blowing through. I have steam burns on my arms. I have smooth and sensitive fingertips now from accidentally grabbing boiling pot handles without protection. I have sore shoulders from lifting heavy pots full of meatballs and vegetables and rice. I have sore feet and a weary back from all that work, but let me tell you, I am serious when I say that I feel like I've been on vacation because I also have sore stomach muscles from laughing so hard with the other women in that kitchen! I have a heavy heart for some of the situations that my sisters in the Lord shared with me while we were washing dishes. I have eyes that were red and puffy from crying together. I shouldered some of their burdens because I could see that they were too heavy to be carried alone.

But oh, is my spirit lighter tonight! You learn things about people when you work so closely together with them in a steam room under time-pressured conditions. Sometimes you learn negative things, but today I learned many wonderful things about my fellow-kitchen crew. I learned about the joys and the reliefs of mothers whose children have made decisions to follow the Lord. I learned about the struggles of working mothers who are trying to balance work and family. I learned about the history of our church. I learned that I really, really love my husband today!

What?! Why do I say that I really learned to love my husband today? Well, you see, THIS is what made me feel the most like I had had a vacation today! While I was slaving away with sweat dripping from every pore in my body, my husband was taking care of the boys! I got Christopher dressed this morning before I left, kissed Fred good-by and that's the last responsibility I had toward my family until 4:30 this afternoon! I felt like a different woman working in that kitchen! I was managing typical kitchen tasks like washing dishes and stirring gravy without having to stop and fix a toy or zip up a pair of pants or put a toy in time out! I actually completed my jobs from start to finish without being interrupted with a "Mommy, look at this!" or "Mommy, what does this say?" I was able to listen to another adult's story without having to say with a forced smile on my face, "Excuse me for a moment (would you please stop screaming in my ear and go in another room if you're going to fight?!)"

Oh yes sir! I was on vacation today and I'm dead tired now, but I'm a happy camper! I had eight and a half hours of being a totally different person today and I'm ready to take on the world now!