Thy Magic Kingdom Come

From the moment my daughter was born there were two debates in our marriage that I instantly won: 1. We would be keeping every single one of my prom dresses for future dress-up parties and 2. We would DEFINITELY be going to Disney World for a family vacation. I know that boys also enjoy Disney World, but my husband and his brothers experienced their own brand of fun family vacations that did not include the awe-inspiring experience of meeting and dining with your favorite princesses, and he had yet to see the necessity of spending what could have been a college fund for a family trip. I, however, had enjoyed this unmatchable experience with my sister and knew that it was a momentous and magical highlight of childhood that could not be missed. So, for 6 and a half years I have waited. And waited. As two more daughters have been born, I have tossed and turned and sought counsel from other Disney going moms about when the right, no the PERFECT, moment to take my girls would appear. I spent way too much time worrying if the oldest would be too old or the youngest too young, the summer too hot, October too scary, missing school too stressful, and the moment never felt quite right until I woke up one morning and my oldest just looked, older, and I  knew that we were approaching the closing of a window on the magic of Disney being at its peak of magic, and suddenly all other factors were eliminated. In a panic, I woke my husband with stacks of papers filled with numbers and budgets I had received from my college roomie, AKA Disney Travel Planner Extraordinaire, and I told him that we just had to make it happen and soon! After I explained what “it” was, he doesn’t live in my brain where Disney World timing had infiltrated all major life decisions, he said that we could look into it but probably not for this summer. I put a pin in the actual planning while all along still longing for the day that we would be there at the Magic Kingdom, feet away from the palace, ears in place, ready for the perfect picture!

Meanwhile, God knew the desire of my heart and had an even more perfect plan put in motion. You see, a few weeks later we received a call from our closest friends from our trip to Israel in April. They were going to be traveling for work in America in July. My husband said that we should find out where they would be so we could spend time together, investing in our new friendship. One international text later, I received a two-word reply that changed our summer: Sarasota, Florida. Their trip was coming so soon, and three car-seats in an airport sounded like a special kind of nightmare that neither of us were willing to endure, so we drove the 18 hour trip to Sarasota. Our first family of 5 vacation, and we were headed to the beach! You have to understand that before I even knew the name of this couple we would be working with in Israel, I had been praying for a deep friendship to develop from the partnership, a close mom friend from another place and another faith with whom I could do life through international texts and trips. My heart was full of hope that the Lord would bless our friendship during our time in Israel, and my expectations were beyond met. I remember leaving their home on our last night in Jerusalem and crying on the steps, already missing the bond we had enjoyed. So, when we pulled up to the beach a mere 3 months after we met, and saw our friends casually walking up to us on the shores of Sarasota, Florida, my heart was about to bust. We had a great day at the beach, and then a dinner where I was preoccupied with a fussy baby (18 hours in a car plus a day at the beach does not lend to a well-behaved toddler at a fancy restaurant) when I overheard my daughter start a conversation with our adult friends by saying ” I would love to tell you a story” and proceeded to open her heart and share her stories of the Garden of Eden, to Jesus calming the sea and the joy of His return.  Later we enjoyed a late night Target run and an early morning Starbucks chat. Are you really mom friends if you haven’t meandered through Target together or solved all of your parenting dilemmas at a Starbucks? I think not. Our time together was multiplied, our conversation life-giving and our hearts- well, full does not even begin to describe it.

But get this- when we parted with our friends the next day we traveled the short hour and a half drive from Sarasota to ORLANDO and did DISNEY WORLD! We stayed in a Little Mermaid suite and took the kids to the Magic Kingdom. We ate with Cinderella, danced with the prince, saw my  kids eyes light up even brighter than I had imagined and relished the fireworks over the castle. We got that perfect “ear” picture and rode “Its  Small Word” in all its wonder. Every princess was met and autograph books were signed. Other than the extreme heat, near dehydration, the paper straws (that’s a whole other blog post) and pushing an empty stroller while hauling three kids who refused to ride in it and desperately needed a nap, it was perfect. Disney was great, but you see most of our Florida story was about a Kingdom of a different kind. When God blessed us with true friendship and allowed stories of His goodness to flow between us, even from my daughter who just couldn’t help but speak of the Lord, what we had was greater than any man-made kingdom. Our trip peaked in Sarasota with the  bonus fun of Orlando because the Kingdom of God is found in loving others well and recounting the stories of the goodness of God with the people He has given you to love. And this can happen anywhere.

So, to my friends who are still waiting for the perfect Disney trip and wondering if it is ever going to fit the schedule or the budget, yes, it’s fun, but what the Lord has for you is even more magical, not just for you but for your kids too. We all have things that we think our kids just HAVE to experience, but let your joy be in relishing what He has planned specifically for your family.  It might just fill you more than you know. And to my friends who have checked Disney off the list, or some other highly anticipated milestone, enjoy the memories, but do not dwell on the fact that it is over. Because, to quote how my six year old finished her story at dinner, “even if you read the whole Bible, it is only half over because He is coming back, and if you believe, you can be part of the story too!” Hearing echoes of His kingdom flow from the heart of my daughter filled a desire in my heart that I had not even voiced. May His kingdom come in your families and His plans for you exceed every wish that your heart makes.