Summer vacation? On the beach? I'm in! I packed my bathing suits, beach blankets, umbrellas, cooler, several bottles of sun block, kadima paddles, comfy matt for lying on the beach and a good, long book. I had thoughts of clear water (I'm accustomed to South Beach), clear skies, warm breezes and naps on the beach. Then...we got the email with the schedule for the vacation. A schedule? For a vacation? Presentations? The zoo? Games? We were sitting with some family and going over the schedule when a cousin commented, "Boy! It sounds like you are going to need a vacation from your vacation!" If I am honest, a little part of me was a little disheartened. Growing up in Florida I went on many beach vacations and was expecting this to be another "beach vacation". But at the same time, I have spent enough time with my community to know that it didn't matter what we did; as long as we were together, I would enjoy it. I still hoped to have time to lay on the beach and read a bit, but I was open to whatever the weekend might bring.

My husband and I arrived early and spent the day on the beach with our kids who would only be there that one day/night. The beach itself was not great. It was full of rocks, not little rocks that you might stub your toe on, but the big ones that might leave a permanent scar on your shins. To make matters worse, the water was quite murky so you couldn't even see when you were about to walk into the rocks. Needless to say, I didn't get my "South Beach." I didn't even go in the water.

The next day, we joined the group and began the vacation. Throughout the next four days, we were divided into teams. We played games. We listened to a few witnesses. We watched a few cultural presentations. We participated in a scavenger hunt at the zoo. We sang songs. We had free time on the beach. We shared mass. We shared meals. We shared drinks. We shared. It was everything I had hoped for. I found myself listening intently at all that was being said and thinking about everything I was hearing. It was partly due to my competitive nature and wanting to solve the "mystery" and win the game, but it was also due to the fact that I was truly enjoying thinking about life in that way. So, although I didn't get the "beach vacation" I was looking forward to, I did get a vacation that was perfect. As we sat around on the last day, I thought to myself, "What am I doing here? How did this happen?" I don't know the answer to these questions, but I do know that I have found a place that corresponds to my heart, a place where I feel I belong. And the simple reason for that is that I can truly say that I have encountered Him in this place, with these people.