AS I write this, I am sure that many of you will be doing some final planning for your summer holidays.

For those going abroad, passports will be checked to make sure they are still in date and currency will be ordered.

Travel insurance might need to be finalised and vaccinations might be required too!

Some of you might be looking to take a break later in the year instead.

Some of us like to plan our holidays in great detail, while others like to go with the flow.

Others like to make sure that everything is booked well in advance, while some like to wait for the bargains that often come with last minute deals, although that can be a bit of a rollercoaster in itself!

We all need refreshment and time to relax especially as we lead increasingly busy lives.

In a world which tries to live life at a fast pace, it is vital that we take time for rest and relaxation to nurture ourselves.

Not only that, but holidays offer us the opportunity to discover unfamiliar places, or to reconnect with familiar places, and this can be exciting.

Holidays also offer us the opportunity to spend time with friends and family and to foster those relationships.

Holidays also enable us to broaden our horizons as we discover different cultures and their customs and traditions.

And there is a scriptural precedent for taking time out too!

On a number of occasions, the Gospels mention that Jesus withdrew from the crowds.

We are also told that on some occasions he spent time alone with his disciples.

This was so that he could nurture his relationship with his followers and so that he would be more effective in his ministry.

Like us, Jesus needed to take time and space in which to rest and relax.

He needed to do this so that he could give himself more fully to others.

Holidays, therefore, offer us the opportunity to nurture ourselves and to nurture our relationship with family and friends and this is vital to our wellbeing.

If we are to give of ourselves fully, then at times we also need to learn to take rest and relax. We also need to nurture ourselves.

Maybe we need to encourage our family and friends to take time out for a refreshing break too.

So, whether it is Bexhill-on-Sea or Bali, or maybe Cornwall or Canada this year, do have restful, refreshing and enjoyable holidays!

The Rev Preb Matthew Tregenza

Rector of Holy Cross, Crediton