Now that Mom and Dad are back in Ohio, I can write about their month with us on St. Simons Island.  I don’t like to write about it while they are here, because I don’t want to advertise that they are not home.  This is the third year all four of us have spent a month together down here.  We love exploring and adventuring together whether we go far or just walk the streets next to us.

Mom and Dad like coming to St. Simons for the same reason we do:  we avoid Ohio snow.  This has been an excellent year to be out of the north.  The winter up there has been brutal with lots of cold and snow.  Although the temperatures on St. Simons have been cooler, our daily highs are still in the 60’s and 70’s and we get sunshine most days.  This last week, in particular, has been spectacular.

Because this is our third year together on the island, we have already done most of the touristy stuff within an hour’s drive.  This year we stuck closer to “home.”  Amelia Island was the farthest we went adventuring.  Instead of long drives we had long talks.  Instead of using gas we pedaled bikes along the beaches.  We played games and met new people.  And we ate at several familiar restaurants instead of trying out lots of new places.

I will be writing more about our time together over the next couple of weeks.  But today I wanted to say what a blessing it is to be able to spend lots of time with Mom and Dad.  Few people my age are able to spend good time with both their parents.  Tom’s mom and dad have been gone for a long time.  My parents are active,  energetic, and mentally sharp.  They have interesting viewpoints on current events and good stories about the past.  They look forward with courage and strength to the future.

Having Mom and Dad with us on St. Simons has been a great blessing every year.  Every moment we can spend with them is a joy.