Wanderlust.

One thing I wish for my children {as if I get to choose}, is that they have a desire to travel and see the world.

I was raised by polar opposites in the wanderlust department.  My father saw lots of the globe through the military, and maintained a desire to travel.  Alas, my momma was fine restricting her travels to within a 5-10 mile radius of our house.  Really.  Getting her to go drive 2 hours to Black River Lodge every summer was tough.  And even then, she could only stand to stay 3 nights.

I feel fortunate that my travel gene is an exact copy of my dad's.  I haven't been many places in the scheme of things {Mexico, the Caribbean, lots of different states, England}, but I definitely have plans to see more of the world...in, like, 20 years.

I will encourage my kids to enroll in an exchange program in high school, study abroad in college.  I don't even think I'd have a problem with them taking a year between high school and college to travel with a mission group of some kind, as long as they're learning something.

Let's face it, the lessons learned form extensive travels are vast.  The world is so much more than ourselves.  Our way is not the only way, our path not the only path.  There is extreme poverty, extreme wealth, and everything in between.  History, architecture, geographical phenomenon, food.  It's all out there waiting to be discovered.

And at the end of a journey comes a renewed relationship with 'home'.  A deeper appreciation for the way in which we live, our numerous blessings, family, security, and even gratefulness for our American cuisine.

If only a parent got to decide all of this stuff ahead of time for their kids.  Sigh.

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{I've often had concerns that this wouldn't ever be an option for Betsy.  But, not to worry...my dad's got the travel bug, and one day, he will finally have the travel companion he's always wanted.  Sorry mom!}