A few weeks ago when I was looking for an old picture of Abby, I happened upon pictures of our family vacation in the Smokey Mountains in 1994. It was rather funny that I came upon them when I did for my parents were about to head to Branson, Missouri to vacation with the same family we enjoyed the Smokeys with 25 years ago. Only their trip last week was an actual vacation. The trip 25 years ago would have been anything but.
We met the Teagues sometime in 1983 or 1984 at church in The Colony, Texas. Our families were two among dozens of young families that populated that church (quite literally with all the babies that kept coming). The story goes that my parents invited them over for dinner one evening and Mr. Teague’s response was, “All of us?” With three kids, they weren’t used to dinner invitations. They laugh at that now, for my parents ended up with eight kids and they had six.
Two more opposite families you’ll not find. My parents referred to Mr. and Mrs. Teague as “Ken and Barbie”. They had three very blond, bouncy kids. Mr. Teauge was a salesman who came from a rather rough background which included a brother who was all but permanently employed painting license plates for the state (as he put it). My parents had two more structured children, my dad being from a straight Catholic childhood and military career background. Years later, we would homeschool and they would not. We moved around constantly while they never left Texas. They would go through rough patches, and we would have great blessings. Then we would have hard times, and their blessings would abound. We saw each other infrequently and yet picked up right where we left off. Why? Because Christ was the center of it all. The one thing we had in common that never changed.
In 1986, the two families met in Georgia for a family vacation. Two families with a grand total of five kids:
Aaron (age 8), Me (age 6), Ryan (age 6), Audra (age 3) and Katey (age 3)
We had a blast. I always had fun with Aaron, Ryan, and Audra – mostly with Aaron while I loved with bicker with Ryan. But it’s more than fair to say I had a crush on Aaron. (And if I’m honest with myself, I did until he got married and there was simply no hope left. But he did marry a Melissa, so he chose well. J)
Eight years later, in 1994, the two families would meet up again in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The gathering was a bit larger…with the grand total of twelve kids (only Caleb who was born the following March and Nathan who would be born in 1998 were missing):
Although we more than doubled and ranged from teenagers to babies, we still had a great deal of fun. I still got along better with Aaron, wanted to bicker with Ryan, and spent late nights giggling with Audra and Katey. We played games, went on hikes, swam, shopped, and just had fun. But I can honestly say now, as a mom, that I doubt either vacation was really a “vacation” for my mom or Mrs. Teague.
This past week, it was only my parents and Mr. and Mrs. Teague in Branson. By this time in our lives, the two families combined have doubled again. Aaron, Ryan, Audra and Whitney are all married with a combined number of 7 kids. Katey and I are married, Grace soon will be and, with my sister Abby, have a combined number of 5 kids. If it were remotely possible we would ever all get together again, it would be anything but a vacation. But I think we would have fun.
There are very few friendships in this world that last more than thirty years. They survive distance, months and years of no communication, joys, sorrows, children walking with the Lord and children who have fallen away, grandkids and simply aging. But friendships with Christ at the center will last even longer than that. They will last for all eternity.
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