BROWNE VACATIONS: Just a little "Browne" fun... An article written by your Grandparents for a church publication similar to the Ensign. See below for actual article and pictures. Note: the trip is just a mere 10,600+ miles. You come from pioneer stock!! Enjoy!
MAY 1963
THE INSTRUCTOR
The Invited Guest on Your Vacation
by Edna and Arthur D. Browne - a member of the General Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union.
by Edna and Arthur D. Browne - a member of the General Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union.
It happens every spring. As surely as sap rises in trees, vacation
fever strikes human beings and excites a mass exodus. The urge to be on the
move and to enjoy a change of scene stirs us into a flurry of activity —
reading travel folders, studying road maps, buying new sun glasses.
Society uproots itself. The security of home is traded for the
rigors of traveling, roughing it in wilderness areas, fighting crowds at
popular resorts, or baking on sun-drenched beaches. Generally we find vacations
restful, fun, and adventurous. Could we ask for anything more? Perhaps we
could. The best possible vacations are pleasant experiences rich with beauty,
with learning, with love, and with spirituality.
Rewarding vacations do not just "happen." They require
forethought and cooperation, alertness and determination, understanding and
patience. For families who have not realized their full vacation potential, we
offer a few suggestions which may enrich and increase the enjoyment you receive
from vacations.
The essential feature of a purposeful vacation is to take God with
you. We count our family among the many who do not embark on even the shortest
journey without first kneeling in family prayer. In this way, we not only ask
for our Heavenly Father's protection but invite His influence to be with us. We
find that prayer sets the mood for happy times.
A stake president had an inspirational experience when he and his
sons accompanied a friend on a fishing trip. En route to a high mountain lake,
the friend suggested stopping to visit a family living close to the mountains.
The stake president and his sons were total strangers to the family. Yet, all
the travelers were welcomed warmly and urged to stay to dinner. The family
invited the guests to join in their customary evening prayer at which time the
Lord's blessings and protection were invoked in behalf of the travelers. This
warm, friendly gesture immediately sealed close bonds of fellowship between the
family and the vacationers, set a securely peaceful mood for the rest of the
trip, and left a lasting impression of gratitude upon the president and his
sons.
We believe that keeping the Sabbath day holy is as necessary
"on safari" as it is at home. Wherever you may be, a way can be found
to worship God. In strange cities during cross-country trips, you may find your
church by consulting the telephone book, the Red Cross, Traveler's Aid Society,
the local Chamber of Commerce, directories in hotel lobbies and motel offices;
or you may simply ask directions of a policeman, service station attendant, or
others who deal with the public.
In national parks, campers frequently band together to hold Sunday
services. Such outdoor worship, inspired by the Lord's creations, is unmatched
in its beauty and simplicity. The immortal words of Bryant remind us that the
groves were God's first temples. Those natural chapels also provide a setting
for private family worship if organized meetings are unavailable. From youngest
to oldest, each family member can find expression in singing, praying, or
speaking.
[PICTURE: Viewing beautiful
scenery was Along the Cabot Trail in one of the pleasant experiences Nova
Scotia, the family saw enjoyed by the Browne Family, the blue Atlantic waters.]
[PICTURE: The south shore
of Nova Scotia This picturesque village is
invites the traveler to stop found between Chester and at one of
the coves or bays. Hubbards Cove, Nova Scotia.]
[PICTURE: the Browne's vacation route] - do you recognize Grandma Browne's artwork?
A young couple with four children said of their vacation in Zion's
Canyon: "We had never before felt so close to our Heavenly Father as we
did in that breath-taking cathedral of His handiwork, and our children shared
our reverent feelings. We can hardly wait to spend another vacation
there."
Another friend told us of using a camping trip in a majestic
mountain area to help his teen-age sons gain a clearer picture of the creation
story, and to provide a setting for relating their concepts on science with
religious beliefs. The surging waves on a seashore, a blazing sky at sunset, or
tall trees swaying in a primeval forest provide similar opportunities to awaken
in children a love of natural beauty and a reverent respect for the Creator.
It is obvious, then, that a vacation can be an excursion to the
realm of new knowledge and rich experiences if planned carefully for this
purpose. For example, the imaginative mother of four showed us pictures she had
obtained from the Utah Historical Society. These she used to explain some
fascinating aspects of the state's early history to her children. This
"briefing" or orientation prior to a vacation in Southern Utah made
the actual trip much more meaningful to the family.
[PICTURE: The family
station wagon furnished one wall of a camper
where all slept at night. Each of the five children were given
specific duties to perform on this 10,612 mile trip.]
[PICTURE: Stops at
historical points of interest were planned prior to the beginning of the trip.
Here the mother and children stand in front of Paul Revere' s house in Boston,
Mass.]
Even history lessons can come alive when taught "on
location." Our own six children never tire of recalling a summer trip of
three years ago. In seven weeks, we registered 10,612 miles on the speedometer
of our station wagon. Our children saw places in the United States and Canada
which before had been only names on a map or in a book.
They gaped in childish reverence at Tom Sawyer's whitewashed
fence, walked with hushed steps beside Lincoln's tomb, sat silently in the
stiff, wooden pews of the Kirtland Temple, marveled at the magnificence of
Niagara Falls at night, thrilled to the spectacular Palmyra pageant, rode on
the Staten Island ferry for a close-up view of the Statue of
Liberty, peeked through Paul Revere's spectacles in Boston,
absorbed the peacefulness of the lovely Acadian landscape where Longfellow's
heroine — Evangeline — dwelt, tiptoed into the tiny bedroom where Anne of Green
Gables wove her girlish magic, enjoyed the scenic splendor of the Cabot Trail
where the continent juts into the Atlantic, and stared wide- eyed at the red-coated
Mounties guarding the Canadian Houses of Parliament. The historical and religious
perspectives emerging from family discussions of those events, both en route
and at home, are a lasting legacy to our children.
Perhaps, however, the greatest value of a well-planned and purposeful
family vacation is its rewarding by-product, "togetherness." Through
shared responsibilities during fun times and hardships, through complete
reliance upon each other, and through teamwork in the face of frustrations and
inconveniences, the family emerges a closer-knit, more effective unit; and
parent-child rapport reaches a high level. We find, on occasion, greater
closeness when we divide our family group. Father camps in the mountains with
his boys where they can talk man-to-man, while mother and her daughters rest at
a pleasant resort and enjoy girl-talk.
Involving the children in the mechanics of the trip, from its
first planning phase to the final unpacking of luggage, gives them a feeling of
importance and strengthens family solidarity. They can help with preliminaries
such as shopping or gathering road maps, preparing the lunches, and packing
their belongings into the car. They can also assume responsibilities which
arise during the trip, such as caring for a younger brother or sister, keeping
the automobile clean, and watching for road hazards.
One night while traversing an out-of-the-way and unknown area
during a cross-country trip, our ten-year-old son accepted the task of
following the road map and reading directions at each highway junction to help
his father, who was driving. The other family members were asleep. He
remembered the rule that someone must always chat with the driver during late
hours as insurance against a fatal cat nap. He sensed that the welfare of the entire
family was in his hands. He and his dad felt very close as they chatted quietly
through the darkness.
Vacationers can be brought closer to one another and closer to the
Lord, too. In any event, we cannot take a vacation from religion nor the Lord.
Religious concepts are a way of life; they guide our behavior
at all times. When we do what we know to be good and right,
wherever we are, we enjoy ourselves more fully. A vacation rich with
spirituality and family love will be a golden memory through all the years to
come.
And one final thought — at the end of that vacation you may wish
to express your gratitude to your Heavenly Father in family prayer. It is a
courtesy we owe to this Invited Guest.
[PICTURE: Standing on the
steps of this Canadian House of Parliament
are the Browne children and their mother, Edna. A red-coated Royal
Canadian Mounted Policeman stands by.]
[PICTURE: Historical and
religious perspectives emerged from discussions held prior to and after visits
to selected places. Here the family completes a tour of the Joseph Smith home.]
