The summer holidays are the best time for most people to take their vacation since the children are out of school for two months. Some people may stay at home while others will spend their vacation in another country.

Every summer for the past twelve years my family and I returned home to Jamaica to spend a few weeks. We looked forward to spending quality time with family and friends, and we also enjoyed spending a week or two in one of the all-inclusive hotels on the north coast in Jamaica.

The abundance of food, drinks, fun and games that these resort package offers are well worth the expense. Not to mention the white sandy beaches and the large pools that are available to you every day. After this luxurious vacation, you are always revitalized and refreshed for a new season of work and school.

Sunset Beach Jamaica Grand – 2013 summer vacation. Image courtesy of Booking.com

This summer we did not go to Jamaica, we decided to combine our vacation with my son’s visit to his cardiologist in Puerto Rico. Over the past years, this was the main purpose of visiting Puerto Rico. We usually stayed in less expensive hotels that were affordable but the hotel rooms were too small for all three of us, and it was tough to rest in such cramp quarters.

Therefore, for this vacation, I decided to splurge and rent an entire apartment in Old San Juan. The apartment was equipped with everything for our convenience including a washer and dryer. It was also very clean and modern.

I was able to cook in my kitchen without anyone peering down into my pot, which usually happened when I had to share a kitchen with other guests. The apartment provided enough space for myself and two teenagers who were not always tidy.

We always enjoyed visiting Puerto Rico because of the shopping expeditions in the large shopping center, Plaza Las Americas, and also in Old San Juan and Rio Piedras. The children are usually anxious to shop but most times they want to purchase everything that they like without assessing the cost. However, everything was more expensive on this trip because of the increase in tax in Puerto Rico.

During the first day of shopping, the children became irritable with each other. My daughter wanted to spend more time in the girl’s store and less time in the boy’s store and vice versa. As the bickering increased, the confusion also increased and then mistakes began to occur. My son chose the wrong size shoes, and he lost his sunglasses.

Anywhere there is confusion the devil is in the midst, so I decided to remain home the following day to regroup and reassess. We spent the morning giving God thanks for giving us health and strength and providing the opportunity for us to shop. I told them to identify scripture verses in the Bible that they can identify with and comment on it.

We shared these verses in the daily thanksgiving devotion for the month of August. I emphasized that when God placed a particular scripture verse on your heart, you must first apply it to your life and allow it to change and empower you.

After the devotion, I told them to make a list of the things that they need and the approximate cost so that they can be more organized when they shop.

During vacation, it is important that we do not become caught up in our selfish desires but learn to share and be patient with each other.

We also need to put the Lord first in everything because we cannot accomplish anything without Him.