A Transformational Life

One of our goals traveling as family is develop more family unity. Being united is having one purpose or goal; being mindful, helpful, caring, and considerate to one another is what we are working towards. Let me just say that before coming on this adventure we of course loved one another, but we sure had funny ways of showing it at times. Every family needs space and has quarrels, that is normal; however, I didn’t want that attitude the majority in our family. Wanting to spend time with your family and spend time with them because you have fun with them is one way to become united.

A beautiful sunny day in Oslob, Philippines is an ideal setting for a perfect family memory. We changed our plans from swimming with whale sharks to swimming with smaller fish. We boarded a private pump boat to Sumilon Island with snorkeling gear in hand and a crew to take us. Pump boats are such graceful watercraft; they are my favorite mode of water travel in the Philippines.Ocean water in many parts of the Philippines is crystal clear and you can see far below the water surface. The coral, fish, jellyfish, dolphins, flying fish, and even a sea turtle are some sea life we saw. The children especially have fun looking into the warm turquoise waters looking for sea life. We arrived at Sumilon island in fifteen minutes, got our snorkel gear on and adjusted, and then jumped into the bright bluish-green water.

We quickly found beautiful fish to point to and show each other. Coral of all shapes, sizes, and colors that fish play hide and seek in covered the bottom of the ocean. Seeing this with our family was absolutely thrilling. At one point both Jake and I looked around at the children all with their faces in the water exploring the great deep; our hearts swelled with joy. We were all participating in a family event without complaining and even encouraging one another. What more can parents ask for?

Create Your Own Family Unity Experience 

Clearly, traveling the world is not the only way to unify a family. There are moments big and small with lots of preparation or none at all that will produce the unifying effect within a family you are looking for. These can take place in the home or outside the home, at holidays or random moments, and with all family members or just a couple.

Ideas:

• Read or listen to a book the whole family will enjoy. For example, leading up to the Christmas season this year we will be reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carole together.
• Holiday traditions: make them happen no matter what. These act as glue for a family especially during holidays that might be stressful. These create the most recollected and anticipated family moments.
• Turn a moment of struggle into a teaching moment. Taking time to understand and listen is a powerful way to develop unity between individuals.
• Plan a trip to a local attraction, park, or museum. Drive through a nearby beautiful area or plan a hike to experience nature together. These types of outings don’t have to cost much or anything at all, but make fun memories. Take a family vote or make a family outing list everyone wants to do together.
• Plan and save for a large-scale family vacation to whatever your paradise is. Maybe it’s Harry Potter World, Disneyland, an island getaway, diving, or a campout. Pulling out all the stops for these types of experiences are worth it in the name of family.

The rewards for having a unified family will not only benefit you now, but the generations to come. One of my favorite quote about family is from Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “In family relationships love is really spelled T-I-M-E”.