The blog home of speaker and writer Mindy von Atzigen

The blog home of speaker and writer Mindy von Atzigen I am a lover of words, Jesus, and His church. I am also a wife, a mom, and a friend. I hope you'll consider me yours...

What Vacation Is Meant For

Somewhere in the midst of sweeping out the borrowed travel trailer, loading up the sleeping bags, and digging out the lake gear from the garage, my son asked an interesting question.  "Why do people go on vacation?"

Why indeed?  Why do we spend money to pack up all our things, give up the comfort of our own beds, drive great distances, spend more money, sleep in strange beds, drive some more, and stand in lines to spend more money before we pack up all our things and drive great distances back to our homes?  Maybe it does seem a little strange.

But, if it is, it's strangely wonderful.

"We go on vacations to refresh our souls."

Because we were created to live life in a garden.  A garden of peace, a place where rest came easy.  So life without rest becomes anxious.

Because we were created to live life in communion with the Father, taking walks with Him in the cool of the day.  So life without time to see the world He created, hand in hand with Him, becomes dry.

Because we were created to live lives of wonder, exploration without end.  So life without adventure becomes stale.

And sometimes it takes a vacation to shake off the anxious, dry, staleness that we've allowed to envelope us.

And if we make a mistake in vacationing, it's not in the taking of one.  It's making it about entertainment, rather than embracing rest, communion, and adventure.

And if there's something we do right in vacationing, it's when we taste enough of the real things of life that we bring them home with us and continue to live them.

May you and your family taste of the real things this summer, and may it refresh you, down to the deepest places of your soul.


Author's Note:  As our family will be vacationing for the next two weeks, Treasure the Ordinary will feature a couple of archived blog posts.  Hope you enjoy dusting off some old "treasure."





All Gathered Round

My birthday was last week, and it seems a little unreal that I am as old as I am.  I don't mind, it just takes me by surprise when I say the age outloud, like life is flashing by so that I can't get used to one number before it changes to another.  I have the most trouble comprehending my own age when I think about my childhood, which I do quite often, as my younger children are fond of asking me to tell them stories of my life when I was their age.  But when I reminisce, it doesn't seem possible that those memories are three decades old.  Those snapshots in my brain feel like they were taken just a month or two ago.

And I've discovered something.  When I play the memories like home movies in my mind, I usually find the ones that are the most vivid involve one of three things: celebrations, vacations, and food.

The first two I understand.  Those are the times the camera comes out, so the memories of the Christmases, the birthday parties, and the road trips to Colorado got rehearsed every time I looked at my scrapbook.

But, the third one.  That's interesting to me.  I don't have any pictures of food in my scrapbook, but I can remember every detail about quite a few dishes.

I can remember the way our house would fill with the smell of autumn when my mom baked applesauce cake. 

I can remember it wasn't really spring until we went to pick raspberries and she made the most delicious jam.

I can remember our Texas salsa lasting through the winter after she spent an entire day canning it, driving my brother out of the house with the hot smell of peppers.

And it's not just our own house, either.

I remember Grammie's icebox pie.  I can remember her explaining what an "icebox" was every time she made it.  And the macaroni salad with pimientos that was always in her "icebox," too.

I can remember Meme's dressing at Thanksgiving, hard to forget since she was a little fond of the sage and it turned out green every year.  And her biscuits with sausage cooked right into the top that were always waiting for us when we woke up at her house.

I can remember Grandma's broccolli rice casserole and the way we all fought over the last couple of spoonfulls.  And her pecan pies that were full of pecans shelled by my Papaw from their backyard.

I can remember my Dad's Sunday morning eggs and the way he would hide a slice of Velveeta cheese underneath for us to "find."  And the roast he made every Sunday after church, the roast he still teases me is the reason my husband married me.

So many memories centered around kitchens.  So much love and so much joy, all around a bunch of tables.

And I wonder what foods my own children will be telling their kids about some day.  What will they try to cook for my grandbabies, just because it reminds them of home and Mama and joy and warmth?

There's a lot of days I come home from the office and don't want to spend time hanging out at the stove.  There are plenty of times I'd rather give up on meal planning and the grocery shopping and just eat out.  But, even beyond the havoc that would wreak on our budget, there's another reason I keep at it day after day, week after week.  I believe in the family kitchen, in its ability to keep a group of people who are going so many different directions all day long centered in one place, in its power to make a boy look forward to walking in the front door after football practice, and in the way it can hold the treasures of memory.

That's why I've made a few choices about how I will serve my family in our family kitchen.  

1.  Unless we're traveling, we don't eat out for supper much.  That's our home time.
2.  I plan out meals for a week at a time to try to reduce the "what am I making" stress.
3.  I play music when I'm cooking.  Fun music.  Which leads to dancing.  Which makes me smile.  I cook better when I'm smiling.
4.  I do my best to try a new recipe every week.  Variety is the spice of life.
5.  I have posted the best kitchen quote ever on the wall above my stove.  And I read it often.

"There's no spectacle on earth as appealing as a woman making dinner for someone she loves."  - Thomas Wolfe

The Gift of Presence

He'd been at camp less than twelve hours when we got the phone call.  Our ten year old had a mishap with a tree and a rock.  His arm looked broken.  They were taking him to the emergency room.

My husband and I were a two and a half hour drive away---a long, long road when your baby is at the hospital without you.  I talked to him on the phone, helped him take big breaths, prayed over him, and assured him everything was going to be fine.  Then I hung up and did the same thing for myself. 

A few minutes later, another phone call.  His little sister was still at camp and was sobbing into the phone.  She hadn't seen him leave, just knew he was hurt.  She was scared for him, her best friend.  I talked to her, helped her take some big breaths, prayed over her, and assured her everything was going to be fine.  Then I hung up and did the same thing for myself once again.

We heard back a few minutes later that our daughter was peaceful and heading to bed.  Someone asked her what her mama had said to her.   She told her I said, "Jesus is with him."

I'm not sure I actually said those words, but they were the ones she needed to hear.  They were also the ones I needed to hear.

When I can't be there to hold my baby, Jesus is

When I don't know what to say, He does.

When I can't carry it on my shoulders, He can.

When I can't sleep for the storm, I can pull my mat up next to His and listen to His heartbeat instead of the waves.  (Luke 8)

And I'm eternally grateful for the gift of His presence.  The presence that goes before me and behind me.  The presence that covers me and lifts me.  The presence that is also with the ones I love the most.

When I held my exhausted son in my arms a couple of hours later, I knew for sure he had not been alone.  My heart was at peace as he reached out the arm that wasn't in a splint and wrapped it around my neck.  And I whispered my thanks for the arms that encircled us both.

Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Ashlyn Alexander and Stephanie Hughes!  They are both winners of a complete set of Marriage Coach CDs!

Thanks to all who entered.  You can find more information about the Marriage Coach resource at the von Atzigen Ministries website, www.vonatzigenministries.com.

Have a wonderfully blessed week!

Giveaway: The Marriage Coach

My husband has a beautiful tradition.  Every year on his birthday, he gives me and the kids a present.  I suppose I think it's a beautiful tradition because he's really good at giving gifts, so I always receive something wonderful--not just on my birthday, but again five months later on his!


This year, I wanted to follow in his footsteps right here on Treasure the Ordinary.  Sunday is my birthday, and to celebrate, I would love to give away two sets of the newest resource from von Atzigen Ministries, the Marriage Coach CD Set.


The Marriage Coach is a four sermon series that "coaches" couples how to succeed in their marriages.  It was released in February of this year, and we have been so blessed to see the fruit it is reaping in marriages and families.


For more information about the Marriage Coach, log on to vonatzigenministries.com.


To enter the giveaway, just enter your email address in the subscription box in the upper right hand corner.  Two winners will be drawn from new subscribers on Sunday, June 10th, and notified that same day.


Blessings to you---may you give and receive many gifts this week!