When
I was 14, my parents built our “dream house.”
It certainly doesn’t compare to the “castles” of todays architecture but
it was much larger than our previous little home. As the only girl, I was given
a large bedroom, walk in closet and a half bath. I decorated this oasis from three brothers in
pale green paint and light yellow carpet.
I wanted the room to look happy. And it was!
The house had other wonderful features,
it was in an up and coming subdivision with large lots and rolling hills (to be
expected, its was in Virginia!) My parents
did an amazing job of keeping it updated over the almost thirty years they
lived there.
Another feature of the house was the
back deck. The house had no back door
neighbors because of the slant of the adjoining property. With almost a full acre of property in the
back of the lot only thick trees could be seen.
The back deck watched this little forest throughout the years. Watching the full throttled green leaves
change to a bouquet of red, orange and yellow as Fall met Summer. The winter would decorate the trees with a
depressing gray and occasionally ice would turn the bare branches into a winter
fairyland. Spring always came
unexpectedly to the trees because it was usually still chilly and without
warning beautiful buds and blossoms dressed them up to say they had survived.
The back deck brought our family and
friends to barbecues and sunbathing.
Late night star gazing and cramming for exams are all memories of the
deck. Years later my parent’s update of
the house turned the back porch into an amazing glassed sunroom.
This sunroom became the hub of our
family. It was large enough to have a
table, a complete living room suit and what family could do without the beloved
television? Over the years we’ve had
family celebrations and holiday meals there.
We’ve laughed in the sunroom until we cried. We’ve cried in that room until we didn’t
think we could survive. Many memories formed and made in the evolution of this
deck turned sunroom.
My mother for the most part called this
space, this deck, this beautiful sunroom, “The back porch!” The “Back Porch!” In all due respect to the wonderful memories
it has held, how dare she call this space a “back porch.” “Come on Mom, this room is special, the
memories are many, and you call it a back porch?”
This week as our youngest and I sat,
unhurried and enjoying each other in a small covered area of our house, just
off the kitchen in the back of our house.
I realized…the Lord had recreated the deck, the sunroom of my formative
years. It is now my “back porch.”
After living in this home only a couple
of years and tearing it down to the studs, Gods design was to create the space.
Our children, Greg and I now have a “space” just outside to have meals, to
laugh until we cry, to cry over what breaks our heart and to join our hearts as
life happens.
I’m grateful God has found a haven for
our family. Out of the world’s eye, a
special place for our family to process our lives. He has entrusted to us a
space to make memories.
Find that special place for your
family. It can be a room, but it could
also be a park bench or a library table or a restaurant play land. It can be a cozy chair in Starbucks or a get
away cabin. Find your back porch! Your children will be looking in their adult
lives to offer their children (your grandchildren) the same oasis experience!
