A "Centering" Place
Stories
No Grazing For Sacred Cows
Tormenting Questions In A Bizarre World
Object:
Four decades ago when we purchased our lake property, hundreds of miles from our home then, I wondered about the wisdom of what we had done, Leon. We were renting our home and with our limited financial means we could not afford this newly acquired lakeshore and the down payment which would be required to buy a house where we were living. In a sense, were we "getting the cart before the horse" as the old saying goes?
But the benefits and rewards of what this beautiful, northern summer home would grow to mean to us were only dimly foreseen back then. We had spent many hours that summer searching the area for a place we liked which was not beyond our budget. We were very lucky, Leon, for we finally found an undeveloped plot of land in the midst of Minnesota lake country that was unsurpassed, as far as we were concerned, with the natural beauty it presented! We have been told that the Indian name for the sparkling lake we located on means "jewel of the north." Yes, Leon, we were indeed fortunate to find this place.
Our children grew up there in the summer. Now our grandchildren are following in their footsteps. Many memorable days were enjoyed with our parents and friends at our lake home. We struggled for many years trying to find a name for the place that was growing to mean so much for us. Finally, some summers ago the name "Francisco's Kum ba yah" burst upon us. Our place at last had a name!
Truly "Francisco's Kum ba yah" has been a gathering place. A place to share with family, friends, and individuals in many walks of life. A number of summers we even had ecumenical worship services each Sunday on our front lawn. The clear blue spring-fed waters of Ponto Lake provided the altar for these services. One visitor from Chicago once remarked that this was the most beautiful cathedral in which he had ever worshiped! Ah, the memories that are associated with our Kum ba yah, Leon!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his writings once referred to the retreat his family had in the Black Forest. He suggested that much of the fortitude and spiritual reserve he developed for those trying, fateful years in Nazi concentration camps may have been generated at their family gathering place. Who knows what similar kinds of inner strength may have been encouraged for many who have come to our place?
This has been a "centering" place for our family and friends, Leon. We have shared joys, ambitions, fears, and sorrows here. We have been able to lay aside the rush of outside activities and commune with nature, divinity, and the cosmos. We have been able to find direction in our lives. We have experienced the pulling together of family. We have found peace here at our "Kum ba yah."
As this is written on Thanksgiving Day, Leon, I have to give thanks for the opportunities our lake home has presented for meaningful growth in our lives. A wisdom beyond what little I may ever have had was at work four decades ago in guiding us to become stewards of this lake country property!
But the benefits and rewards of what this beautiful, northern summer home would grow to mean to us were only dimly foreseen back then. We had spent many hours that summer searching the area for a place we liked which was not beyond our budget. We were very lucky, Leon, for we finally found an undeveloped plot of land in the midst of Minnesota lake country that was unsurpassed, as far as we were concerned, with the natural beauty it presented! We have been told that the Indian name for the sparkling lake we located on means "jewel of the north." Yes, Leon, we were indeed fortunate to find this place.
Our children grew up there in the summer. Now our grandchildren are following in their footsteps. Many memorable days were enjoyed with our parents and friends at our lake home. We struggled for many years trying to find a name for the place that was growing to mean so much for us. Finally, some summers ago the name "Francisco's Kum ba yah" burst upon us. Our place at last had a name!
Truly "Francisco's Kum ba yah" has been a gathering place. A place to share with family, friends, and individuals in many walks of life. A number of summers we even had ecumenical worship services each Sunday on our front lawn. The clear blue spring-fed waters of Ponto Lake provided the altar for these services. One visitor from Chicago once remarked that this was the most beautiful cathedral in which he had ever worshiped! Ah, the memories that are associated with our Kum ba yah, Leon!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his writings once referred to the retreat his family had in the Black Forest. He suggested that much of the fortitude and spiritual reserve he developed for those trying, fateful years in Nazi concentration camps may have been generated at their family gathering place. Who knows what similar kinds of inner strength may have been encouraged for many who have come to our place?
This has been a "centering" place for our family and friends, Leon. We have shared joys, ambitions, fears, and sorrows here. We have been able to lay aside the rush of outside activities and commune with nature, divinity, and the cosmos. We have been able to find direction in our lives. We have experienced the pulling together of family. We have found peace here at our "Kum ba yah."
As this is written on Thanksgiving Day, Leon, I have to give thanks for the opportunities our lake home has presented for meaningful growth in our lives. A wisdom beyond what little I may ever have had was at work four decades ago in guiding us to become stewards of this lake country property!
