Traveling the summer highways: A prayer to start your family vacation

“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.”
School’s out for summer:
The schools in the Baltimore metropolitan area are almost all closed now for the summer break. 
The laughter of children is in the air.
Today is the last day for my daughter who teaches third grade at Gunpowder Elementary in Nottingham. Tonight, she and her husband and my adorable 18-month old granddaughter are headed to the beach to start celebrating the joys of summer for a long weekend.

Singer Island, Florida: Photo by Patti Murphy Dohn
Family vacations away:
Family vacations are much-anticipated, with both children and adults alike counting down the days until they are ready to go. Beach, mountains, camping, out-of-state family reunions, plane rides, train rides… The destinations may be different, but the excitement is always tangible.

Singer Island, Florida: Photo by Patti Murphy Dohn

Summer in Florida:
 
My husband and I had our own adventure last Sunday evening when we headed south on I-95 to spend the summer at our home on Singer Island, near West Palm Beach. Eighteen hours in the car is taxing, and we were glad that the only a chorus of “Are we there yet?” was from Daisy our pug who was ready to stretch her legs outside every five or six hours.
We arrived safely at 2:30 on Monday afternoon, happy and exhausted. By the time we opened up the storm shutters and unpacked the car, we were grateful to be there in time for dinner and the beautiful Florida sunset.
Vacation reality check:
Though summer vacations away from home are highly anticipated, many families are disappointed when the time away does not meet their expectations. A lot of money from the family budget goes into the vacation fund, and if things don’t go as planned, it can be a real let-down.
It is our prayer that your summer travels with your families are filled with: 

Catholic Review

The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.