Our parents...

So it's time to leave New Jersey and head to my parents up in New York for the second half of our two week vacation. I'm not looking forward to the 6 hour trip tomorrow morning toward the north country, but I am stoked about spending 7 days in my childhood neck of the woods.

Heidi and I have great parents who are both in ministry. They have similar values and we were raised with almost identical sets of rules, other than Heidi was allowed to kiss while still in High School. I could, but at the risk of being dismembered.

Other than that, we both couldn't go to the movies or listen to music with syncopated beats or dance with excessive hip gyrations. It was "worldly" and of "the flesh". We both attended conservative Christian schools. We both kept our virginity until marriage. We both loved our parents and didn't want to hurt them, so we walked a pretty straight line. If we did disobey, we both had a conscience that was sensitive, so it wouldn't be uncommon for us to admit the sin before we even got caught. We were eerily similar.

But even though our parents share so many traits, they are quite different as well.

My parents are country folk, Heidi's are city slickers.

My parents have a vegetable garden, Heidi's have a flower garden.

My parents have track phones, Heidi's have smart phones.

My parents are just learning to use the internet, Heidi's invented it (with Al Gore).

My parents live in an old ranch house, Heidi's live in a refurbished parsonage.

My parents live by a lake, Heidi's live by the ocean.

My parents are slow paced, Heidi's are a bit more fast paced.

My parents are simpletons, Heidi's are little more cultured.

My parents lead a smaller church, Heidi's lead a larger congregation.

My parents own a tractor, Heidi's own a coffee machine.

I could go on and on. There are so many similarities. There are so many differences.

But I love them both and enjoy taking in life with each when we have the opportunity to break away from Michigan to visit them.

I'm so glad that I am me. I have a good, good life.