Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Christer Cederberg.
Spring break is a significant benefit of being a student. So when my wife Laurel got her break from the U, we decided to do a trip to Utah, where we met up with our younger ones … no longer children per se.
Very quickly it was clear that we no longer were parents like at home! They met us at the airport after a busy day together. Laurel and I were shown the back seat in my own 14-year-old car, and off we went. Linnea drove south over high mountain passes in an unexpected snowstorm towards Moab. Gabe helped her navigate. Laurel and I followed the trip through the side windows and couldn’t help asking “Are we there yet?”
Thus began a role-reversal that we truly enjoyed. We relied on our front-seat parents to choose destinations, lodging and restaurants. And they packed a lot in our week and made excellent choices.
At the Arches National Park, I got my Senior Lifetime National Parks pass, and we began our mind-blowing experiences: touristing with almost nobody around! We got to enjoy the famous Landscape Arch for minutes with nobody else, and we saw the Delicate Arch (as if the other ones were not delicate). So much beauty!
We hiked a lot and sometimes in difficult conditions. Descending Bryce Canyon’s steep snowy trails was a challenge … but well worth it. The younger ones got us all “yak trax” for better boot traction, and the young “parents” bought us old “kids” hiking sticks for extra support and stability. They cared for our safety like we had done for them at our first visit there sixteen years ago.
We all hope to age. And maybe we want our children to “care” for us when that happens. But it is amazing to try that role-reversal before you really are old.
Let us pray:
God please let us all realize sooner rather than later that our young children and their friends will become our peers as they grow up. Let us be grateful for any help and support they can offer us even before we really need it as we prepare to enter old age.
Here is a link to what ChatGPT wrote for its devotion.