Some take beaches, some take cruises, some take long island getaways. What does my family take???? A 5-mile hike to Abram's Falls in the Smokey Mountains in the rain and tubing down a non-existent river.
It's Labor Day weekend, and I have been anxiously awaiting my family's arrival for WEEKS. My sister Amy and her boyfriend Keith, my nephews Nathan and Noah and Keith's son Zach, along with my Mom and Dad made arrangements for us to all gather together for the weekend in a beautiful cabin high a-top a mountain in the Smokey Mountains. Friday night we all gathered together and shared laughter, hugs, and love. Saturday, we made plans to go tubing down the river. What could be better than spending the day lazily winding down a river enjoying the gorgeous sun and beautiful scenery right?! Well, yes.....but when there is a lack of rain in the area and the river is down, you end up walking a good bit of the river! Though it was a challenge at times, there were more good spots than tough ones during our adventure on the river. The kids got to swim, jump from a rope swing off the rocks, and the adults got to partake in some much-needed relaxation and laughter.
Then Sunday, what could be better than taking a nice relaxing "hike" through the mountains to the amazing site of Abrams Falls? Mom and Dad wanted to see falls, so we were determined to deliver. And......so was everybody else from every other state in the United States! We sat on the "Scenic Loop" of Cades Cove for HOURS. We finally made it to the trail head and our adventure began. About 2/3 of the way to the falls, it starts sprinkling.....then a little harder.....and then down right POURING! When we made it to the falls, it was a complete downpour, but nothing could detract from the amazing beauty of the falls. We took pictures of rain-soaked kids and family members and found a baby snapping turtle that Logan is STILL talking about! The hardest part begins.....the hike back. Now pouring harder than ever, shoes squishing, carrying Sarah, slipping on rocks, hungry, tired and racing against the approaching dark of night....we finally reached the trail head once again. There was not a DANG thing that wasn't completely soaked. We got into our cars and stripped children to underwear and turned on the heat in early September. Only to approach the loop road to exit and find the SAME site of a chain of cars at a stand still in our way. An hour and fifteen minutes later, we made it to the exit road and traveled back to our cabin. Cold, tired, hungry and hurting, we landed into showers, hot tubs, and dinner plates. To quote my ever-positive mother "Well this was an ADVENTURE! And one for the memory books!" She always finds the silver lining among the rain clouds.
This morning I was sitting at the breakfast table just watching. Watching the controlled chaos that the walls of the cabin held. I saw adults scurrying to pack belongings, children fighting, children and adults fighting...yet the peaceful mountains stood quietly in the distance outside the windows. I started thinking, "Molly, you are one very blessed girl." You see, while a lot of people feel that a vacation is about being pampered, spoiled and rejuvenated, I came to the conclusion that for me, it's about re-establishing the strength of a family. When we were trekking down the river, we each gave a hand pulling and pushing tubes across slippery rocks. Each one of us needed a hand at one point, and rest assured, you didn't have to turn around and search for one, because it was already there helping. We all made sure that every member of the family made it to the end of the ride safely, and shared some laughs along the way.
And the mountain? Well....I cannot imagine climbing it with anybody else. This morning I thought about it and it occurred to me, if I had been out there by myself, I would have had plenty to be afraid of, but because I was surrounded by my family, I never was afraid. When someone slipped, or needed carried, someone was there to help. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" in the rain and stopped to view God's artwork....which is just as beautiful in the rain as it is in the sunlight. It was a good reminder that sometimes God's way of cleansing and rejuvenating is to drench one in blessings that we often take for granted....like family.
There are a lot of families out there, and they all have their fair share of ups and downs, rough spots, hurts, joys, happiness and unbelievable adventures, and I bow in humble adoration at how they have all weathered those situations. My family has endured happiness, loss, heartache, love, tough lessons, tough choices, and unspeakable situations with NO clear answers, but one thing that is as constant as the mountains in the distance, we have climbed each mountain together. We never have to look for long or very far for a outstretched hand, because without reservation someone is already reaching out. I love my family so much that there are no words to adequately express it. Is it hard living so far from them? Yes, absolutely. But distance is only as far as you make it. We make it work. Skype is wonderful! Most importantly, we cannot be broken and we will always have each other and memories.
So, beaches, spas, fancy restaurants, cruises, manis/pedis, and island getaways???? NOT FOR ME. I will go anywhere and be anywhere that my family is. I would hike that mountain trail in the rain as many times as they asked me to, if it meant that I got to spend time with them. I don't need to be spoiled with meals in bed or crisping on the beach....I just want hear the laughter of my kids playing with their cousins, my sister singing while she dries her hair, my mom reading an "important excerpt" to my dad from the latest book she's reading, and my husband teasing me endlessly....or at least attempting to! Someday, all I will have is those memories and no lavish vacation in the world could outshine them. So mom is right, this was an adventure for the memory books. We could choose to complain about muscle pain and soaked shoes, or we could thank God for the opportunity to live, laugh, and love each other through anything. Frankly, I look at it like this....once that physical pain goes away, if that was all we focused on, what do you have left? Nothing. Memories stay with us forever and form our future. I can't wait until our next family adventure!
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