9/13/2014 0 Comments Got Baggage?My family is on a six week trip around the country – showing the kids major spots like the Grand Canyon, and Washington DC. However, three weeks in a Tahoe with six kids will teach ya a few things. You can follow us on my blog…www.sherrychamblee.weebly.com. We are also using the hashtag #Gr8USrdTrp on Facebook and
Laundry has been a thing we’ve dealt with extensively so far. It’s rained everywhere we’ve gone, so there have been lots of messy days. Having to go to the camp laundry room means sitting there and waiting, so I’ve had some time to think recently. First, we all have our own baggage. We carry around with us the things we think we HAVE to have to get through…or those things we feel obligated to carry with us. Sometimes we’re right. Other times, not so much. We put extras in our bag that we really won’t need. Thing is, it doesn’t just go away, that extra stuff. It has to be purposely left behind, or thrown out. Sometimes we don’t know it isn’t needed until we get out on the road and see for ourselves. Unnecessary burdens can be guilt we’ve piled on ourselves…maybe for things that weren’t really our fault, or things God doesn’t spell out as sin, or something to avoid. We can’t always just take it out of our bag and set it down. We have to purposely take those unnecessary burdens, put them in a trash bag, and leave them behind in a garbage can. Second, we often grab someone else’s ‘stuff’ and carry it around with us for them. They might not even know we have it, but it’s weighing us down, wearing us out, taking up room meant for our own stuff. This happens when we grab someone else’s offense and decide it should be ours, too. Or when someone else was the one doing wrong, but we pick up the guilt and carry it around. It’s ok to help pick up someone else’s things, shake it out, fold it up neat…but when you’re done, put it back in their bag, not yours. Third, we all have dirty laundry. Sometimes we want to pretend our dirt don’t stink…we give the notion that we never have issues, never get dirt stains or spills, never need a ‘laundry day.’ That attitude in us discourages others around us. I don’t mean to air your dirty laundry on other people’s front yards…no. Just don’t try to hide the fact that you have to clean your laundry, too. So remember the next time you do laundry – carry only what you really need, only keep your own ‘stuff’ in your bag, and don’t hide the fact that you need to clean it sometimes, too. We’ve all got baggage…and that’s ok. ………………. I can be found on Facebook at Author Sherry Chamblee, and Twitter @SherryChamblee
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9/5/2014 0 Comments South CarolinaThe Myrtle Beach State Park is beautiful, with pine trees that touch the sky, lovely myrtle and magnolia trees, soft pine needles carpeting the forest floor, and little campsites tucked in amongst it all. However, during our stay it was forevermore hot and humid, and did not cool off overnight. In fact it only cooled off when it began raining - not a gentle mist softly brushing your face, either. No, more like torrential downpour. Again...it's all good. Before the rain though, I made a discovery. A lovely little trail led off from our campsite through the woods to the bathhouse. However, before I got halfway down the trail the first time, my way was barred by a magnificent spiderweb and a spider to match. This was the Shelob of South Carolina. I don't know what kind it was, only that it could have carried away a small child if it had wanted.
Considering myself quite brave, I swallowed hard, grabbed a long stick, and tried to gently convince it to move aside. It did not run away. The thing grabbed the stick, and I swear would have beat me with it if I hadn't retreated quickly. Some might call it running and screaming back down the trail, but I prefer the term 'timely retreat.' I found a different way to the bathhouse. Well, after the rain came we didn't get to see much else. The kids did get a chance to play in the Atlantic Ocean though, so we still had lots of fun. |
Chamblee FamilyYes, all eight of us, in a Chevy Tahoe, driving across the country in an epic search for history, adventure, and a little bit more leg space in the back seat. Archives
October 2014
CategoriesAll Arkansas Beginning Colorado #Gr8USrdTrp South Carolina Texas Trip |