“Leaving a Legacy” - Our Lakehouse

I’m sitting on a brand new deck with my feet in our brand new swim spa, staring out a beautiful lake. It’s so peaceful. The water looks like a sheet of glass because it is early in the morning and no boat has disturbed it yet. The sounds of the water from the swim spa makes me feel like I’m at the ocean. The sun is already hot on my face...I’m definitely going to have to move to the shade soon. In all this peace I can also hear the faint sound of our neighbors kids playing in the water next door. They are playing at the house that used to be our family’s lake house. 

My whole life I grew up coming to this lake. Playing in the water, digging up baby turtles from the sand, tubing, fishing, and most importantly spending time with family. We did it all in a little cinder block house that my grandpa built with his bare hands. Fun fact, it is rumored that there is an empty beer can in every cinder block of that house, from what they were drinking while building it. LOL I guess we will only find out if that is true if it gets torn down.

After some really sad family drama, that is unfortunately still ongoing, my family no longer owns that old cinder block lakehouse. *Side Note: We were very blessed though by the people who bought the house from us. They had been coming down to lake for years and they know everyone here and they are very nice. They had wanted to buy a house down here and it was kismet for them to get our house.* Even though we had to sell our old house, my dad and I own the lot right next to it. We used to use this lot for parking, but after the sale of our old lakehouse, construction began on our new lakehouse on our lot. So now I’m sitting in a brand new house, on the same lake, next door to our old house.

This is the first weekend that we are able to be at this house. There are still some things that need finished here, but man is this house amazing. We are already making new memories here and that makes me excited for the future. My brothers and their loved ones, uncle and aunt and my parents were all down this weekend. I love that this can be a place that Pax can be around his immediate and extended family. When my grandparents built our old lakehouse that was their intention: for it to always be a place for the whole family and my parents built this new house for the whole family. I like that my grandparents’ vision can continue on even though they are gone now and we are in a different house.

In the midst of enjoying this beautiful new house, that is chalk full of potential and vision, being right next door is bittersweet. I look over and see that the new owners hang their towels along the line that is strung between two trees just like we did. I see them playing cards and eating around the stone table outside like we did. I see them walking on the concrete steps that have all of our families names etched into them. I would not consider myself to be a sentimental person...in fact, I am usually the person that throws things away only to realize later that it probably would have been good to keep as a memento...but I am feeling very sentimental this weekend. Everywhere I look, I see memories of my grandpa, grandma and family. 

I see grandma out sailing with her boston terrier, Annie. I see grandpa snoozing in a hammock or fishing off the point. We have this picture of my cousin and I when we were young after catching a fish and I see that too. Countless games of euchre happened on that lot. Many birthday parties. Even games of lawn darts, before those stopped being sold, because who really thought it was a safe idea to play a game where you throw sharp darts into the air in order to land in the ground?

I’m realizing more and more through this experience what really matters. Money is not what matters. Petty drama is not what matters. What matters is spending time with the ones you love, showing love to others, and leaving a legacy that will go on for many generations. Part of the legacy that my grandparents left was being with family. They built a place where their whole family could come together on weekends and enjoy being with each other. That house was never intended to be for certain people over others, it was intended to be a place for everyone in the family to enjoy. Because of that, I saw my cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents more than most people do. They provided a space for all those memories that I have. While we no longer have that same space, we still have the memories and we can still pass on their legacy.

I have been praying a lot for this new house. That it would do the same, if not more, for our family as the old lakehouse did. That my husband, parents, my brothers, my niece, my son, my aunts and uncles and our friends would all create memories here. That we can have celebrations, new experiences, and quality time in this space. That my grandparents’ vision and legacy can carry on. So that one day, when he is older, Pax will look around and see a bunch of his memories here and be able to reminisce just like I can. 

So here is to many more memories captured in pictures like these…