I’ve never thought of writing a post while snuggled on a teakwood lounge chair watching the Pacific Ocean pull me gently past the shores of Canada. But I’m on vacation, so I’m writing a doodle-free, worry-free post.

A vacation requires that what you leave at home stays at home.

This isn’t easy.

Vacations are those margins placed in your life to provide rest, relaxation, and lots of blank spaces.

In the past I’ve scribbled up the vacation margins with worry doodles that robbed me of mental rest.

But not this time.

Our home septic system backed up while I was walking the streets of Ketchikan, Alaska. Offspring #5 and his wife, who are housesitting, called the official pooper-scoopers and then mopped up.

I heard it was quite the mess. But it wasn’t my mess.

I’ve learned that whatever current problem shows up at home will be resolved one way or another by those left to take care of such things. Then it will be forgotten when a new problem drops in unannounced after I get home.

There is no point in allowing the concerns of home to dictate my mental musings while drifting along the cost of Canada.

Here’s the do not worry Bible verse that helps me keep the worry doodles out of my vacation margins:

I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him . . .  (2 Timothy 1:12 NIV).

I hope you have a lot of white space in your vacation margins this summer. You deserve it!

Now it’s your turn: Do you have a secret for keeping your vacation margins free of the worry doodles? Please share with us in the comment section below.

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build your spiritual legacy

“Jesus likes it when we share.” -Adelaide, age 3: Pass this along to everybody and their brother. OK, maybe not everybody’s brother, but you know . . . all of your friends would be nice.