bonds of laughter

"Traveling Mercies: love the journey, God is with you, come home safe and sound." -Anne Lamott 

Summer road trips to Arkansas have been a part of my life since forever. Growing up, my brother and I would pile in a car and be driven north to the nature state that is Arkansas. With my father, it was to visit his parents. With my mom, it was to visit her sister plus my uncle and cousins. 

In the more recent years of my adulthood, the trips are now my mom and I, just us, up here to visit my aunt and uncle and great uncle and maybe a cousin or two. At this age, we are all so spread out and busy with our adult lives that it is near impossible to get us all in one location. 

Thankfully, this trip it's all us cousins but my brother. But also my mom and Aunt's cousins! Celebrating together my Great Uncle Jerry's 94th birthday tomorrow. 

The drive up here was smooth. Mom drove the first leg and I drove the second. We joined forces with my aunt to cook dinner, then shared many laughs over the home cooked meal, followed by preparing the dessert dishes for tomorrow's party, another cousin and his beautiful family of 6 arrived and more laughs so hard we cried. 

Before we left, my step dad quickly prayed over us for safe travels and protection of the vehicle. Later, as I squeezed in a quick reading break between dinner and the baking, I read a chapter or two in the earliest of Lamott's books I own and stumbled across the quote at the top. It was a phrase members at her church used when people left for extended periods of time. It meant everything to me. It's how I've started to view my life. Each movement from one location to another is its own journey and I know in my heart and my whole being God is with me. 

When you walk in your faith, in the day to day activities, each interaction is meaningful. Furthermore, the bonds that you had previously can be extended to new levels as you now act and move in the manner in which God designs you to. 

We must trust that God is with us always so that we may feel him move us and guide us.