My dear mother turned 75 years of age a few weeks ago. She was born in Italy and immigrated to Canada around the age of 20. My father decided to through a birthday party for her in her home town in Italy. We brought the kids for this once in a lifetime experience. It was amazing. We met family, many for the first time. We went with my mother and visited Venice and ate gelato in Piazza San Marco. We went to Verona and saw a coliseum that started to be built while Christ walked the earth. We saw the Romeo and Juliette wall. One day, due to travel schedules, we had breakfast in France, lunch in Monaco and dinner in Italy. In France we saw the Louvre, Eiffel tour and the Arc de Triumphe. And when our 9 year old was asked by a man at the airport on our return what was his favorite memory of the trip? His answer, "playing with his cousins".
I am not saying that we should not have taken advantage of the amazing sites that Europe has to offer while we were there. I am not saying there is not value in learning about the history of these great countries. But, it does make me think that sometimes, just maybe we try to make life more complicated then it needs to be. My experience tells me that it is most often the simple things in life that bring us the most joy, happiness and memories. For example, it was a warm evening for us in Utah on the eve of our nation's Independence Day. My boys asked if I would sleep outside with them. Due to my travel schedule I have not been able to have a camp out with them yet this summer. Okay, so a tent would not be involved. A fire would not be had. No marshmallows. Simply, a warm summer night sleeping out under the stars. We had a blast.
I need a lot of work in this department as I am running a million miles a minutes in life. However, it is nice to be reminded that small and simple things are in most cases that which make a lasting impression.
