Long Distance Connections

My wife and I were recently on vacation in South Lake Tahoe, and for the first time in months we were truly relaxing. The first morning I woke up at 5:24am and I realized I am not working - for a change - so my hands were empty. Instead of busy hands, I was staring out the window of a country style cabin with a gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe. The air was clear, the pine trees were tall, and the water was the brightest blue I have ever seen. It was so pretty there I couldn’t wait for my family to wake up and join me for a hike to a beautiful little hidden gem called Lake Angora. 

I felt blessed and happy because about half of my children and grandchildren were able to join up with us. My oldest daughter and her family drove up from Orange County. They have three children plus a new 20-month-old baby daughter who is absolutely overflowing with personality. And my oldest son and his wife and two awesome kids drove almost 900 miles from Spokane, Washington, to join us. We don’t get to see them very often, so we were excited to spend time with them. I mean, we call, and we text, and we facetime with them, but it’s not the same as actually spending time together. Being long distance from the people you love, and friends you care about, can make it hard to feel connected.  

So now that I am back home, I know I need to make the effort to stay in touch with my family and friends. Especially with my grandson who lives in Denver that I only get to see once or twice a year, and my other grandson who lives not too far away in Riverside, but I still don’t see him enough. I love them both and would love to spend more time with them, but I struggle to make that happen. I don’t want to lose my connection with them or my connection with my grandkids in Spokane, nor do I want to lose my connection with so many of my family and friends who have moved away. Why? Because when I think about it, being connected to people I care about brings me a lot of joy!

Not long ago, I wrote a Monday Message where I criticized people for being on their phones so much. But now that I think about it, I’m glad we can have our phones in our hands so that we can use them to talk to and feel connected to our loved ones. But I am also grateful that I don’t even need a phone to connect with God, I just need my two hands empty… clasped together.

Angora Lake

The strange thing about seeing someone for the first time in ten years, is the way they look totally different, just for a second, a split second, and then they look like they always have, as if no time has passed between you.

~ Rainbow Rowell