Where’s your place? Where do you go to find rest, peace and clear your head? Do you have a place like that? I do. Beyond my love of that team from Chapel Hill, the Outer Banks of North Carolina are as close to perfect as I’ve found. It’s there that everything seems to make sense. It’s there that the pace slows enough to catch your breath and take an inventory of all that has happened. It’s there that I dream big dreams, pray big prayers and cast big visions. This all might seem a bit over the top, but Chase Rice said it best….
“When I need someone to remind me who I am……Carolina can.”
As much as our budget will allow, we try to make an annual pilgrimage to The Outer Banks. Sometimes we share the home with family or friends. Often it’s just the 5 of us. We write life stories by making memories that my children will carry with them forever. We reconnect after the busyness of another school year and all its activities. We learn more about one another. We set foundational stones for the storms that may come in the year ahead. This isn’t just a week at the beach. If you ask the kids, they will say it is. But my wife and I know it’s so much more. It’s putting down roots to hold strong no matter what the future holds.
Last year we landed in OBX and I was in a season of unknowns. I was pondering one job offer while waiting to hear about a potential second offer. I was coming out of a season I wanted to bury on those beaches. If I’m 100% honest, I began a year long season of sorting through my thoughts on one of the core principles of who I am. I did some business with God in early morning jogs and while sitting on our deck in total darkness of night. I even sat through the windy remains of a tropical storm that passed while we were there. It was rather fitting actually.
Tomorrow we begin the drive towards the Outer Banks and I do so with great expectations. Not that my kids will be perfect all week. Not that the weather will be perfect. Not that we’ll make Instagram and facebook moments – the best moments really never do. I go with great expectations of what the maker of the wind and waves and the silence of the moment will have to say. I go with an open mind to all that may lie ahead. Because….
“When I need someone to remind me who I am……Carolina can.”
#BeBrave
Aaron, I Pray That This Time Together With Your Family Is Filled With Lots Of Wonderful Memories Having Been Made. I Pray That God Speaks To You Through The Wind And The Waves…Even Through The Amazing JESUS Character Going On Vacation With You 🙂
I Pray For Safe Traveling Mercies There And Back, And For Jesus To Keep His Hand Upon Your Family During Your Time Together On This Vacation. I Pray For You And Heather To Come Away From This Vacation Completely Refreshed And Renewed. I Know That You Don’t Expect Your Kids To Be Perfect During This Time..But I Pray That God Will Allow A Spirit Of Joy, Peace And Harmony To Be Constant And Ever Present During This Time…Because When We Travel…We Are In Close Quarters With Those We Love…And Things Can Get Weird And Uncomfortable When Everyone Is So Close Together…Trust Me….On This Subject I Know It All Too Well!! 🙂 Our Family Not Only Did The Vacation Thing..We Also Traveled To & From Florida To Stay There For The Winter, Every Yr. For MANY MANY Yrs!!! 🙂
Stephen And I Have A Place Like Your OBX Vacation Place. We Have That Special Place Where We Go For A Week And Just Take Time Away From ALL Dr.’s, Hospitals, And Electronic Devices. This Place For Us Is Almost Magical….It Is A Place Where I Climb To The Top Of A Tower That Overlooks Much Of Amish Country…And I Just Sit And Listen. By Taking The Boat Out On The Middle Of The Lake And Just Laying Back And Listening To God Speak As I Hear The Wind, The Water Lapping Up Against The Boat…The Sounds Of The Bullfrogs..Just Letting God Speak To My Spirit. Even Sitting Around The Campfire Alone…Just Communing With God. This Is MY SECRET PLACE I Go To Whenever I Really NEED To Know That It Is Truly God I Am Hearing From, Regarding A Serious Decision I Need To Make. So I Totally Get That Principle Of Getting Away To Hear God Fully!! I Hope You And Heather Get EVERYTHING From This Vacation That You Are Needing!! Much Love To You And Yours My Friend!!
Thanks BJ! We’re really looking forward to it and I’m glad you have found a place to call your own too. When you find it you just know it. Thanks for all of your prayers too. It will be a great week no matter what happens. Appreciate you both.