Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. We had a family camping trip and I had a busy week at work last week! By camping, yes, I mean in tents and outside. See the picture below for proof! We went to the lake and it was beautiful! Thank God bathrooms and a shower was close to the campsite!

The weather was pretty well perfect until Saturday when storms blew in. We had food over campfires including taco soup, bacon-wrapped pickles, hot dogs, Dutch oven applies pie and cinnamon rolls filled with cream cheese, and steak omelets that were delicious! It was so relaxing and peaceful to get away and spend time with Garrett’s side of the family.

It seems like nowadays family has taken a back seat in priority among homes across the the United States. Family is such a precious thing and is priority to me. Family time or lack thereof can have a positive or negative impact on us and even onto future generations. Isn’t a novel idea to bring back family dinners and destroy the anti-family centered society as we know it?!

In the past 15 years, research has linked family dinners to lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, lower the rates of obesity, and eating disorders as well as higher grade-point averages and self-esteem. No, we aren’t talking about “quality time” staring at the TV or our phones. We are talking about being unplugged at the dinner table eating food together and using words.

I came across these stats on the Family Dinner Project website. This Project also has some helpful tips on ideas for conversation, game activities, and food ideas if you want to check it out!(https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/resources/faq/)

If you don’t have a family right now then replace that word with friends. Don’t be discouraged and remember that sometimes friends are family. And don’t give up on having a future family of your own.

I believe in God first, family second, and career third like the famous Mary Kay did. I believe it’s important to have regular family get togethers weekly, biweekly, or at most, monthly. When kids grow up and move out of the house with their own families, it’s easy to lose touch. Life is chaotic and our schedules are crammed full.

I have so appreciated the fact that my husband’s family has a weekly burger night where the family gets together to fellowship. It’s a running night that we miss on rare occasion. It’s so nice to fellowship and share what’s going on in our lives. That’s what family is for, being there through life.

Family vacations are also equally important in my eyes. I didn’t grow up in the most stable home environment and a lot of times vacations involved tears. But you know, looking back, I still have some great memories of family vacations even though they were far from perfect.

I believe vacation is important to get away from the rigmarole of life and relax. We all need time away from work to decompress and rest our minds from schedules and work stress. It is so refreshing to spend a solid week away and when you get back, you feel like a new person at work. At least I do. If you can’t afford a vacation out of town, take time off work and have a staycation. If you haven’t heard of that word, it means enjoy time staying at home with not a lot to do.

So many people put work and other things above their families. It breaks my heart to see this happen. Whether you realize it or not, you have relatives that need your encouragement, you have kids that need your guidance, and you have a spouse that needs your affection and affirmation. Only you can give them what they need.

I want to challenge you to start a regular dinner with family, whether it’s every week or once a year if they live out of town. I also want to challenge you to have an annual family trip. If you aren’t in a position to do either of these things, then start the family tradition when you have a family of your own someday. Or get creative and pass it on to your kids.

Most importantly, just be present and be engaged with your family. Don’t give work 99% of your energy and effort and leave 1% for your family. Work is not life. Work is only a means to provide for the ones we love. Let’s be honest, we get home and feel like vegging out after a tough day as like in the picture below. But despite our temptation, our family still needs us to be present. Don’t be Mrs. Grumpy pants, instead make every effort to be Mrs. Encourager and Lovely.

You don’t want to look back on your life and regret the fact you didn’t spend quality time with loved ones. Life is so short and we are never promised tomorrow. Be the best you for your friends and family with God’s guidance.

A Prayer For You

Lord, thank you for my family. Please guide us in finding memorable family traditions that we can pass onto future generations. Show me how to spend quality time with my loved ones and become the woman of God you’ve called me to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.