“Okay, Mom, if you’ve got everything packed, let’s get on the road.” Dad was ready to get this vacation underway.
“I think we have. Are you girls ready to go?” I replied.
Two little girls ran wildly about the house, grabbing their pillows, dolls, coloring books and Crayons and out the door they went headed for our Mobile Scout trailer. They piled their things inside, climbed in the backseat of our station wagon tow vehicle and settled themselves in for the trip.
From the time both girls were small, our family loved to go camping. Short weekend trips were always good and the long trips to the beach were always anticipated well in advance. However, this particular week we were headed to Texas and Six Flags. The park had only been open a few years and the girls had looked forward to the excitement of being there for weeks.
It was sunset when we pulled in the park and began looking for a place to camp for the night. We were somewhat surprised when pulling down toward our campsite, we spotted three couples from our hometown. That confirms what I had always told our girls. “Be very careful in all that you do because there’s always someone watching you.” And, I always told them, a lot of times it will be someone they know or who knows them.
It was difficult to get the girls settled in for the night because of what tomorrow would bring but they finally settled into dreamland. There were a lot of campers in the park so we were parked fairly close to a fold out trailer. We had seen them as we pulled in and noticed it was a family with some small children.
Sometime after midnight our little family was sound asleep. Suddenly, there was a terrible crashing noise outside our trailer. The clanging and banging continued waking our family and sending us to the windows to see what on earth was going on. Then came a man’s voice,
“Son, son, where are you?” he cried out.
“I’m here, Dad?”
“Where, Son?”
“I’m here on the ground under these pots and pans!” and the little boy began to cry.
In the dim light of the camper park, we finally saw the fold out trailer standing on one end with apparently everything that was loose inside piled on top of a crying little boy. It appeared that the family had all crawled into the same end of the trailer for the night and as they tossed and turned in their sleep their weight had caused the trailer to flip sending everything and everyone sprawling.
Now to that poor family, nothing about it was funny. But, to our little family, we couldn’t stop giggling. You know how things are always funnier when everyone is tired? We would think our laughing was over and suddenly one of the girls would begin to giggle; dad would start laughing and it would all begin again. Needless to say it was quite the night and our family has enjoyed that story many, many times over the years.
The Lord wants us as Christians to enjoy life. He wants us to enjoy laughter even though, as in this case, sometimes it is at the expense of others. When was the last time you and your family enjoyed one of those times when laughter wouldn’t stop?
“How we laughed and sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’ ” Psalm 126:2 TBL
“I think we have. Are you girls ready to go?” I replied.
Two little girls ran wildly about the house, grabbing their pillows, dolls, coloring books and Crayons and out the door they went headed for our Mobile Scout trailer. They piled their things inside, climbed in the backseat of our station wagon tow vehicle and settled themselves in for the trip.
From the time both girls were small, our family loved to go camping. Short weekend trips were always good and the long trips to the beach were always anticipated well in advance. However, this particular week we were headed to Texas and Six Flags. The park had only been open a few years and the girls had looked forward to the excitement of being there for weeks.
It was sunset when we pulled in the park and began looking for a place to camp for the night. We were somewhat surprised when pulling down toward our campsite, we spotted three couples from our hometown. That confirms what I had always told our girls. “Be very careful in all that you do because there’s always someone watching you.” And, I always told them, a lot of times it will be someone they know or who knows them.
It was difficult to get the girls settled in for the night because of what tomorrow would bring but they finally settled into dreamland. There were a lot of campers in the park so we were parked fairly close to a fold out trailer. We had seen them as we pulled in and noticed it was a family with some small children.
Sometime after midnight our little family was sound asleep. Suddenly, there was a terrible crashing noise outside our trailer. The clanging and banging continued waking our family and sending us to the windows to see what on earth was going on. Then came a man’s voice,
“Son, son, where are you?” he cried out.
“I’m here, Dad?”
“Where, Son?”
“I’m here on the ground under these pots and pans!” and the little boy began to cry.
In the dim light of the camper park, we finally saw the fold out trailer standing on one end with apparently everything that was loose inside piled on top of a crying little boy. It appeared that the family had all crawled into the same end of the trailer for the night and as they tossed and turned in their sleep their weight had caused the trailer to flip sending everything and everyone sprawling.
Now to that poor family, nothing about it was funny. But, to our little family, we couldn’t stop giggling. You know how things are always funnier when everyone is tired? We would think our laughing was over and suddenly one of the girls would begin to giggle; dad would start laughing and it would all begin again. Needless to say it was quite the night and our family has enjoyed that story many, many times over the years.
The Lord wants us as Christians to enjoy life. He wants us to enjoy laughter even though, as in this case, sometimes it is at the expense of others. When was the last time you and your family enjoyed one of those times when laughter wouldn’t stop?
“How we laughed and sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’ ” Psalm 126:2 TBL
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