This morning Jamie and I awoke to a light New England rain
and gentle coastal winds on a small island off the coast of Maine. We are
staying in a cozy space in the middle of a few thousand acres on Swan’s Island
Maine. It is a bit ironic that here in the middle of the ocean and off the
coast of the mainland, we still have internet access. I guess the folks who
provided our lodging space felt like it may be a bit too spartan to not have
access to the internet out here, but we were prepared for no access.
The drizzle of rain and cool wind provides us with a natural
incentive to stay inside, to write, to reflect, to enjoy the company of one
another, and to celebrate. And there is so much to celebrate! Today marks our
fifth wedding anniversary, and our hearts are warm and full from the joy that
God has given us over these five years together. Every single day is a gift,
and thankfully we have been able to spend the majority of the last 1,827 of
them together with Christ as our center and exploring this majestic and magical
world He created.
In our world today, we hurry about from event to event, and
do not take time to savor the present moment, to remember the journey to this
point, and to cast our vision forward to the enchanted future filled with
opportunities and new worlds to discover. Jamie and I strive to make this a
part of our daily rhythm, and during this time away, we have made it a central
part of our daily adventures. Sitting on rocks by the ocean, we invite the
crashing waves to awaken our spirits to the deep memories and then take time to
savor even greater moments of gratitude for this life, the incredible friends
we have, the unbelievable adventures we have experienced, and the awe we have
for being privileged to enjoy this journey together.
Swan’s Island is a beautiful place, and the pace of life here
is such that it affords a space for slowing down. There are about 350
inhabitants on this 80 square mile island and lots of wilderness to explore.
Many of the locals make their living from the seasonal provisions of
lobstering. In many ways, this island community is very similar to communities
back home in West Virginia. People are hard working, friendly, and willing to
help out someone in need. Everybody waves as they drive by us on the island.
There is so much in this world to savor and appreciate. For
us, slowing down the pace of our routines is just disruptive enough to deepen
our sense of gratitude for little gifts all around us. We have found ourselves
curiously exploring wooded trails and rocky beaches and filled with wonder at
the slow movements of sea crabs, snails, and barnacles along the coast as well
as the darting of rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks, and the soaring of eagles
and gulls among the treetops.
The really amazing part of this adventure is that there are
similar treasures awaiting discovery all around us every day. Having a moment to pause, Jamie and I have
found ourselves sharing stories of childhood adventures from fishing trips at
Mountwood Park (and elsewhere) on an almost daily basis each spring with my
dad, my uncle Russell, and cousin Jo Ann, to journeys over the hill and into
the woods behind her house for Jamie and her dad as she started her “Save The
World Club” by collecting acorns for the squirrels around Lake Floyd. So many
of our memories are connected to the wilderness, and every opportunity we get,
we make moves toward the trees, the water, and the forests.
May we each take time to savor and create memories, and may
we step out into creation as curious explorers of this world. God has provided
us so much for which to be thankful, and even if we spent our whole lives
trying to soak it all in, we would only be scratching the surface. May we
scratch and play and uncover fresh treasures and make memories to savor, enjoy,
and press us further into this grand narrative that the Creator of the universe
writes through and with us.
When I was small, I can remember there being a concrete walkway in the back of our house (I’ve heard that this house was once a farmhouse, and being that it was built with a root cellar, I tend to believe it). That concrete walkway would get stained with mulberries every spring. It was one of the prime indicators that the school year was about to end, and my summertime fun was about to ensue.
I don’t think my mom ever made pies from the mulberries (we had a small grove of cherry trees on our land that we used for pies), I can remember eating mulberries until my stomach was full for about a week each May.
I also remember an old piece of barge rope my brother salvaged from along the Ohio River. When I was five or six years old, he climbed really far up into the mulberry tree and hung the barge rope to make a swing for us to play on. At the time, it felt like he was climbing fifty feet into the sky, but it was probably more like fifteen feet. He tied the bottom of the rope into a knot so people had something they could sit on. (Because I was smaller than everyone else, he had to tie the knot much lower to the ground than most wanted.
We had a four foot tall fence that went around our property, and my dad built a gate where the rope swing hung. You see, the tree was on the edge of our property, and the limb that the rope hung was situated perfectly in front of the gate. The gate also opened into a field that was part of my grandparents property. That field served as a football field, soccer field, baseball/wiffleball field and the prime location for catching lightning bugs (fireflies).
I think back to those times, and life seemed infinitely less complex. My brother and my dad were superhuman, and there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish (I actually still believe that about both of them!) My sister and my mom, were two of the most compassionate people I knew (still true!) and my life was filled with love from my family and an enjoyment of simple things like a rope swing and mulberries staining the pavement and my hands as I picked them to fill my belly with joy.
As we begin this memorial day weekend, I hope you can take a moment and journey back to your past and to some good memories. Where did you play? What brought you the greatest joy? Who were your heroes? It’s always good to take time to remember and reflect, particularly on weekends like Memorial Day Weekend.