Eating the fruit of our labor.

::  fruit stand in Pike Place Market, Seattle ::

You know when someone asks you what you've been up to and you respond with total exasperation about how busy it's been, how crazy?  And then you start to listen to what you're actually saying and realize what you sound like because the things that you have been crazy with are wonderful and fun and total blessings?

Yeah...that's going to be me here in a few seconds.

July has been crazy.  I've been totally busy.  I'm tired and worn out.  Vacationing is hard work.

I realized how obnoxious all of my Facebook "check in's" have been lately:

• Coronado Island
• the Mission at San Juan Capistrano
• the art festival in Laguna Beach
• a boutique hotel in Manhattan Beach
• a guest house on the Puget Sound
• Pike Place Market in Seattle
• just to name a few,
• and that has all been in the last 3 weeks.

Yes, obnoxious indeed.  Obnoxious how many vacations--big and little--that we have been on this month.  This list is embarrassing.  Typing that list is embarrassing.  I've been embarrassed about how blessed we've been to be able to do all of this.  I've actually felt...guilty.

But then I found Psalm 128: 1-4

Blessed are all who fear the Lord;

who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessing and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots 
around your table.
Thus is the man blessed
who fears the Lord.

This verse (like many) smacked me in the face.  Perhaps, if you know our story, this verse will make sense to you.  If you don't know our story, in a nutshell the Golfer and I stepped out in faith (when everyone else thought we were crazy) to follow God's will for our lives.  It wasn't easy.  It wasn't fun.  It was a huge financial and, at times, an emotional struggle.

But we stayed true to what we knew we were supposed to be doing.  And the Lord has blessed us.  Being able to travel and experience and expose our kids to so much is a reward!  A reward from God isn't obnoxious and it certainly isn't something to be embarrassed about.  The Golfer works hard, very hard.  And I work hard putting up with his working hard.  So I have nothing to feel guilty about.

We've just been "eating (a lot of) the fruit of our labor."