Vacation: Michigan
Recently Lauren and I were able to get a mini vacation from the hustle bustle of buggie-land Lancaster and head west. Normally when we vacation we either head north or east to the beach, but this year we decided to drive west.
When I was in college I spent a semester in Colorado Springs at the Focus on the Family Institute. While there, I stayed in an apartment with three other guys who quickly became three of the closest friends I’ve ever made through one of the most transformative 3 months of my life. One of those guys I particularly connected with was my roommate, Andy. The hard part about our friendship now, is the fact that Andy lives in Chicago and we live on the east coast, so it’s very rare that we get to visit.
This year we had planned for a reunion in July with Andy and his wife, Laura, and we decided to drive out west and meet up with them at Lake Michigan.
Laura’s family is good friends with Teresa, who was kind enough to let us stay at “The Orchard” just outside the sleepy winery town of PawPaw for a very minimal price. It was kind of like a barn converted to a house with a small kitchenette. It used to be use for couples to retreat to, which is essentially what we used it for.
We grilled out most evenings and then rushed off to the lake to catch the sunset over the lake, typically running to the beach just in time to catch it. We never quite left the house in time as we would sit for hours after dinner just talking, laughing, and catching up.
I unfortunately came down with what turned out to be a bad case of Strep on our second day there, so it made for some discomfort for a couple of days. We made the best of it though, and enjoyed every minute we could just to relax and visit with one another.
Andy and Laura are the kind of friends that you can only hope for in life. There’s no questions, there’s no expectations, no guessing; Andy and Laura are simply genuine, authentic, and real, with no strings attached. Their friendship is simply refreshing and life-giving – and it’s appreciated more then they know. Spending time with them is just – easy – and I believe that’s because our friendship is so natural.
I think that’s why God creates long-distance bonds between people; because it’s through those long-distance friendships that we learn to appreciate and value friendship in a way that few people can….friendship as a commitment to love and be loved, to encourage and be encouraged, and to cherish and to be cherished.
We are blessed. Thank you Andy & Laura.