Charlie had it right. I'm on vacation.

1va•ca•tion

Pronunciation: \vā-ˈkā-shən, və-\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English vacacioun, from Anglo-French vacacion, from Latin vacation-, vacatio freedom, exemption, from vacare

Date: 14th century

1 : a respite or a time of respite from something : INTERMISSION

2 a : a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended b : a period of exemption from work granted to an employee

from Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary

A year ago, on Charlie’s last day of school, he said to me, “Well, today’s the day – my last day of school and then I’m outta here.” When I asked him where he was going, he looked at me and simply said, “I’m on vacation.” During his graduation party a week later when people customarily ask graduates what they’re planning to do now that high school is over he would simply reply with the same refrain: “I’m on vacation.” At the end of the first week of my 13 week sabbatical that pretty much sums up how the preceding six days have felt: vacation.

Because the younger two were still in school and Linda, Christine and Charlie all were working last week I had the house to myself (not including Memorial Day). So, most mornings I spent reading, journaling and spending time meditating on the Scriptures. Some days I got my guitar out and worshiped. The phone didn’t ring. No one stopped in for a visit. There was nothing on the “To-Do List” as there was no list. It felt freeing, wonderfully freeing. As for the rest of my day, I followed my inklings. On Tuesday I hiked seven miles over in Taylor County on the Ice Age Trail. Okay, it was a road connector hike so it was all on Highway 64 but got some wonderful pictures breaking in my new SLR camera. On Thursday afternoon I did a little geocaching between Sand Creek and Bloomer. On Friday – yesterday – that was the best. Fairly spur of the moment, Linda and I decided to drive to Superior/Duluth. We haven’t been spontaneous since way before Christine came along. It was like sneaking out of school with your girl friend and yet having your teacher’s and your parents’ blessing to do so. We did a little shopping at Miller Hall Mall in Duluth, did a little beach walking on Wisconsin Point (as well as slipping in a little geocaching as long as we were there) and ate at a restaurant we’ve always wanted to try – Eddie’s World Famous Ribs (and yes, I had a full rack). We did some other things I shant write about but you get the drift – it was a wonderfully, fun day.

Since the newspaper article in the Alert came out a week or so ago (see my last installment), I’ve been stopped most days at different places in town and asked, “So, how’s your vacation going?” At Kwik Trip, at a graduation party, in my driveway this morning when someone who stopped by our little garage sale asked me, “Aren’t you the minister who is on vacation? So, how’s it going?” My recluse neighbor even had something to say about it: “I hear you’ve retired.” But probably most surprising to me is how many people from the greater community of Chetek have been making a point to come up to express how happy they are for us. I mean, everyone is entitled to a vacation but a three month one for most people (other than educators) is unheard of. And yet the people who stop us are genuinely thrilled for us. We were at Dairy Queen the other night and an elderly woman neither of us know came up to us smiling and hugged us both as if we were departing on an ocean voyage to an exotic location.

At Eric and Hannah’s graduation party today, Jessie from Refuge asked me how my first week had gone. I looked at him and said, “Well, it feels like vacation and I feel great.” Three weeks from now it may not wear as well but for now I feel like I’ve come up for air and I can breathe again.