Recently some friends of ours wanted to bless our family with a surprise trip to Tahoe. They booked some time for us at a beautiful resort at 7500ft near Lake Tahoe overlooking the Heavenly Ski Resort. It was an incredible experience.
At 15f degrees our little boy was COLD...
...and loving it!
Our time was filled with play time, building snowmen...
cards...
...and rest.
There is something profoundly important that families cultivate "down time" & "unstructured play" as a part of their DNA. No agenda, no plan, nothing to achieve....just being together with spontaneous play as the only objective for each day.
This is hard for us, "doers" and "achievers." For people like Heidi and I, a day can feel like a loss if there isn't something to accomplish. We've had to learn over the years how to take a more patient approach to relationships. Great relationships evolve more like a crock pot dish than a microwave dinner. Great relationships take TIME....unstructured time combined with shared experiences is at the heart of healthy relationships, I think.
In the last month, our family has been under two profound strains: financial and physical.
Tahoe was a gift from God in the middle of this season.
One of the things about Tahoe that we thoroughly loved....was that it reminded us of our other home...Vancouver, BC. Specifically, it reminded us of Whistler, BC. It was beach/ski resort. Even the aesthetic was the same -- cedar cabins, chalet styled buildings, and a pure mountain feel. We felt very much at home. Tahoe served as a reminder of the goodness of the previous decade...and all we miss there (church, friends & family).
In the below picture...Noah is not crying....just freezing.
Blog readers....thanks for following our journey over the last 11 years we've had this blog. After nearly 1000 posts, our website analytics tell us you are still interested in sitting in our virtual living room. Thanks for your support!
These are good days.
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