Trip and I just got back from a weekend at a cabin of some dear friends of ours. We knew it was in the mountains by a river so we just couldn’t wait to get there. Barbara kept reminding me that “It’s just really simple and it’s really small. I hope you like it but just remember – it’s a little cabin.”
Let me tell you what we found. Mesmerized by a mountain stream running along the side of the road we almost missed the tiny gated entrance to their cabin. Driving through and locking the old iron gate behind us, we drove straight up through a canopy of trees. On the left was a moss covered stone wall mounded and packed by someone from long ago. You could just imagine the hands that carried the stones and laid them in perfect linear fashion. Would they ever have imagined that others would drive by and wonder who they were and how they lived on the mountain?
Cresting the top of the mountain was this little cabin. Getting out of the car we were immediately overwhelmed by the sound of rushing water deep in a ravine below us. As we stepped up on the deck of this quaint log home, imagine my jaw dropping at the sight and sound of the mighty New River –through the veil of budding spring trees and lying just below their deck. We dropped our bags and sat on the porch until dark.
A gentle breeze swayed the tree tops as they seemed to wave and rejoice over the scene below. Massive stone formations – artistically created and perfectly placed – border that river. Some even mock shapes of old cabins with tilted tops and open doors. The north flowing water was at its peak and crashed around and over ancient rocks placed in her path. The white rapids ran horizontal across the river’s breadth.
Canadian geese were flying south and so close to the water that you had to follow the sounds of their honking to find them. (We found out later that we would hear those geese honking in the distance all during the night!) Being alone on the mountain and in such unfamiliar blackness, I was a little frightened until we turned out the lights. The stars were our beacons in the night. While we couldn’t see each other standing on the deck we learned to trust the sound of each other’s voice.
Oh, yes, what about that cabin? It was simply perfect. Lying in the tiny loft bedroom, we were lulled to sleep by the ebb and flow of the water hitting those rocks. Yes, that cabin was perfect. It had all the amenities. Everything you could ever need and more importantly …it had more life than you could ever want. You see, it was never about the cabin. It was about the swirl of living that was going on all around her. First, we had to become aware and then we just had to open up the windows and doors and let that life come in.
It’s the same with our life. It’s never about a building – the hospital, school or office. It’s not about the four walls of a house. It’s about the life – your life – that you let come in to swirl all inside. It’s about all the people sent to you. People placed in your path to learn… or to teach. It’s about people who depend on you to show up – to brighten their day – to sooth a pain – to understand their fears. It’s about those little people who need you to show them how to enjoy life. Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – cut the ends off or use an old glass jar to make a circle sandwich. Let life in.
The people we label as colleagues, patients, clients, customers, children or spouses…… don’t show up by accident. Or by coincidence. That’s a lot of life. Get caught up in the process and feel what it means to be a part of God’s universe – to mold like a perfectly fitted puzzle or stones on a moss covered wall and make a difference in the lives of so many others.
Thank you Barbara and Larry for a sweet reminder of life.
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