Editorial July 19, 1947 Issue

HAPPY VACATION!

L. Ivimy Gwalter

Vacation time! What eager hopes and happy memories these words kindle—laughter and gladness, solitude and quietude, freedom and refreshment! In joyous anticipation one exclaims, "I'm going on a vacation soon!" A bit regretfully another says, "Mine is past!" And resignedly the pressed and harried businessman says, "I haven't had a vacation in years."

Vacation! Holiday! Let's think for a minute what those words mean. A dictionary definition of "vacation" is "time free (for something else); specifically, time for contemplation." "Contemplation" is described as "meditation on spiritual things," and the word holiday is literally a combination of "holy" and "day." How profitable and far-reaching would all vacations be if they were generally regarded as time free for meditation on spiritual things, the holy day of Spirit!

Vacation usually suggests the thought of going somewhere, of fresh scenes, wide horizons, new friends, restful relaxation, and joyous activity. All too often, though, the good one seems to derive is fleeting, and very presently the old trouble, the devastating exhaustion, the pressure, fears, and worry, all are back. In the words of Jeremiah, one might say (Jer. 8:15), "We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!"

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July 19, 1947
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