The Two-Person Tent

Almost thirteen years ago, Paul and I were given a two-person tent for a wedding gift.  We both enjoy camping, and we had registered for a tent and sleeping bags thinking we would have great times going up into the mountains of Colorado on little weekend excursions.

When we came home from our honeymoon, I started back into my teaching job, and Paul started a law practice.  Six months later, we found out we were pregnant with our first baby.  As it turned out, we never used that little tent before Paul went into the Army and we moved away from Colorado.

Fast-forward thirteen years.

In the years since we were given that little tent, God gave us four kids in less than five years, and we had nine different addresses in five different states (I still struggle to remember my zip code-- seriously.).   Somewhere along the line, the kids used the tent as a play structure a few times, and then it got ruined in our last move.  Sadly, we never went camping in it.

Next week we will celebrate our thirteenth anniversary, and how will we celebrate?

We're taking the kids camping for the first time.

Instead of breakfast in bed, it will be bacon over a campfire.  Instead of lazy days in a romantic resort, we will spend a day on a lazy river in two rented canoes.

And I couldn't be happier.  Or feel more blessed.

Because with the "for better or for worse" (and we've had our fair share of both in the last thirteen years), came the blessings of a family and a love that hangs on tight through the good and the bad-- precious gifts from an Almighty God Who loves us with an everlasting love and holds us in the palm of His hand.

I can't think of a better place to tell God "thank you" than sitting beside a campfire in His woods in the early morning with my family sound asleep...

...in our new 8-person tent.