Sometimes you need a normalcy check - Hurrah for good, wholesome fun!

Today I saw lots of families having a good time. You know -- "families" -- moms and dads hanging out with their kids and loving it.

My husband and I were up on the Skyline Drive at Skyland where they were having a summer fest complete with pony rides, face painting, watermelon seed spitting contests, and one of my favorite pasttimes -- square dancing.

Our caller and club were invited to participate with a square dancing demo and so we rounded up two squares worth of dancers, donned our petticoats or western shirts and dancing shoes and squared up outside under the trees. It was hot but that didn't keep us from kicking up our heels with enthusiasm as we "bowed to our partners and circled left."

A demo is lots more fun if you get the audience involved and we did with some line dances and basic square dancing instruction. I had one little boy as a partner who looked about eight who was eager to get in on the fun. He told me had done it at school and really liked it. He was there for the morning demo and turned up later in the afternoon for our second show eager to dance again. Lots of folks came back.

We all had a great time, but the best part was seeing all these FAMILIES together enjoying each other's company. One dad told me they'd taken a five mile hike, but they still had the energy to get up and line dance with us. I didn't see any Heathers with two mommies, but watched moms and dads making plans together for their afternoon. One mother said they were supposed to be at a Navy graduation but their young officer friend didn't pass one of his exams. So they took off for a weekend camping trip instead and were having a great time tent camping in the park and taking advantage of the summer fest!

I danced with one little gal named Michaela. Her sister was on the opposite side of the square with their mom while another sister stood in the background smiling. What a happy group!

The day reminded me of how much joy there is in the simple things of life and that many parents are engaging in wholesome activities with their kids. There's a lot of goofy stuff out there, but that's only part of the story. Do something fun with your kids or grandkids as a family -- even if it's just throwing rocks in the river. And pray for the family. It's under such an assault today!