Food, Fun, and Friends at the Cabin

Today, we enjoyed spending time at our cabin with friends. We ate well. We hiked. Some of us did some fishing, despite our dock not being in yet. We ordered a new one that will be in at the beginning of June. We walked in the woods – without the hinderance of snow or insects. We took photographs.

We had fun telling stories, sharing life experiences, playing games, and having some young people around us again. Our boys are 19-25 years of age. They still use our cabin, but now it is as much with us as it is without our presence. Our friends have girls younger than our boys, still in high school and middle school. It is the upper age range of when we began to use our cabin less with our boys. Activities took precedence. Music, sports, work, and service learning obligations kept them busy.

I remember, and recalled to this family today, the first weekend we were here without our eldest young man. He was a junior in HS (2011-12) and was part of the show band, playing piano for the group that played music for show choir. They had an overnight trip planned across the state and he was unable to accompany us to the cabin due to this obligation. I remember having him text me that he was home (2 a.m.). It was distinctly the beginning of the letting go for me as a mom. He was at home alone. His brothers were still in middle school and still obligated to be with us on family outings.

In the ten years since, our visits to the cabin have waned and now are waxing again. Years of work obligations, sports schedules and other obligations kept us from our previous once in three week schedule of visiting the cabin. But, now, since my husband and I are empty nesters, our cabin stays are on the upswing again.

In the last two years, we’ve had more and more visits in which we shared with other families. It’s been very enjoyable to have people enjoy our little place on the lake with us. The weather is not always cooperative, as was the case this weekend. But, we’ve learned to work around that. We play games. We hike when the rain stops. We go out on the lake dressed in layers. If the weather is not good during a particular visit, we only hope to have our friends back again in the future for another visit to the cabin.

If there is something that has brought us joy as a family, it has been time at our cabin. Joy is something better appreciated when shared with others.