You deserve a break today.

Sitting on he balcony just watching the world go by...this feels good. The palm trees tremble as the ocean air passes through the fronds. Families are packing their cars...laundry bags and sandy buckets and beach chairs and bags of souvenirs and keepsakes and all sorts of other trinkets make their way into car trunks and cargo holds of trucks. And yet here I sit...my feet propped up in a lounge chair and the smell of salty sea air filling my nose. While others are packing up and preparing to rejoin the real world, our vacation is just beginning.

Bright and early this morning, we headed to mass. As I sat between my dad and my brother, I heard the priest deliver fantastic words to weary travelers. "You deserve a break." He reminded us that Jesus and His disciples took time off to rest...to reflect...to reacquaint themselves with God's will and word. (See, vacationing is a good thing!) In his final words, Father Mike encouraged us to spend time with family today...to think about what is most important in our lives and to put our focus there. That is just what I intend to do.

And if I happen to doze off while sitting in my beach chair watching the waves crash, I'm sure no one will mind. After all, a good nap is part of taking a break. We all deserve a break.