By ANN WORTHINGTON

Just thinking about vacation puts me in a happy frame of mind.

I’m sure most everyone dreams of a time when they can just get away from the hectic, rush, rush or the busy life we all lead, and yes, even if retired.

I wonder when I ever found time for a full-time job, as well as caring for a home and a family, because my husband and I manage to find more to do than ever before. Maybe we have slowed down, huh?

I remember once some friends invited us to join them for a vacation, traveling with our campers to the mountains. We delightedly joined them and chit-chatted along the way on C.B. units. My husband was not used to talking on those things, so for a good 25 miles, he kept saying to our friends traveling in front of us that he needed to stop for gas.

Finally, after about 30 minutes of this, someone from somewhere chimed in and said to another driver, I sure wish he could find that gas. His words were not quite so polite and are unprintable.

I will always remember one thing about this trip in particular. We went to eat at one of our friend’s favorite restaurants. It was a rustic place, with wood flooring, exposed beams, lantern lighting and cane bottom chairs, all to give a feeling of nostalgia.

Our hostess graciously seated us and placed a large bowl of peanuts in the shell on our table. After taking our orders, she left us for a few minutes.

Our friends told us we were to throw the shells on the floor. I thought he was kidding but I looked around and saw that, sure enough, all the customers were throwing the shells right on the floor.

My thoughts were not so pleasant as to what I thought about someone eating peanuts and throwing the shells right on my clean floors.

I just couldn’t possible throw shells on the floor, so I piled mine nicely in a little heap on the table. However, I soon learned that was the wrong thing to do.

The managers wanted the shells on the floor because the oil from them helped to give the them a glistening shine. It made for some fun memories anyway, because my friends, I haven’t forgotten the surprised look on my face.

Vacations are indeed fun times, but I know our happiest years are the ones we spent with our children when they were very young and we were camping out of the back of a pickup truck, meeting the new friends they made and dragged up to the campsite for us to meet.

Times were simple back then and our children had to make their own fun time on vacation and use their imaginations. I believe they had a better time discovering and making memories that would last them a lifetime.

My friends, I see that I have to sign off, so until next time, I pray for all of you to have a nice and safe vacation. As always, may our good Lord keep you safe in his arms. Be blessed.