The Light of Life

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness…” * 

          

 Spending a few days with our daughter, Shanda, and the family at their vacation home in Bellaire provided a much-needed getaway. Feeling burned out, I was looking forward to spending time outdoors and getting refueled through the beauty of rural northern Michigan.

Al and I arrived at the cottage around dinnertime on Tuesday, where we received a happy greeting from the family and Huey the dog. Son-in-law Chris took us on a tour of their new place while Shanda prepared tacos for dinner. Their home was beside the green of a golf course that had been carved out of the forest, with plenty of room to explore and play.

Later as we were sitting on the back deck overlooking the golf course, wild turkeys walked by foraging for food. Ah, I was feeling better already. Fresh air, open spaces, wild turkeys and even an inquisitive raccoon combined to bring refreshment to the soul.

And dinner was good too, including the s’mores that we ate while sitting around a campfire after dark. A campfire—our first in a long time! There was something healing about sitting in silence with loved ones around the glow of the embers.

 We awoke to the pounding of rain on the rooftop the next morning. In fact, there was enough to create a drip through the skylight. Chris mentioned that he was glad to be there when it happened so that he could get it repaired. The sump pump in the basement wasn’t needed, thankfully.

 In the afternoon, Shanda showed us around the area, stopping at the pool where the family has membership so that Nate (11) and Elliot (91/2) could go swimming and their grandparents could soak their bones in the hot tub. It was our first time at a public pool since the pandemic began last March. There was only one other family in the building besides us and the large doors along one side were opened, letting in the breeze. It felt good, relaxing and safe.

Later that afternoon, while Shanda and her dad went on a grocery/pizza run, I asked Elliot if I could read the article for the Porterville Recorder aloud to him before submitting it to the paper. After a few minutes, he took over the laptop, informing me that he could type really fast!

 Elliot seemed very confident, so I let him type in the corrections, with a silent prayer that he wouldn’t accidently hit the wrong key and delete the whole article. But he did fine—impressive for a nine-year old!  A future editor?

He also helped me chop vegetables for a salad to go along with the pizza. It was special having that one on one time with him, as it always is spending time with each of our four grandkids.

The weather cooperated on Thursday for a family outing to Sutton’s Bay on Lake Michigan. A stop at a shop that displayed hundreds of unique yard decorations, a picnic, swimming at the public beach, looking for fossils along the shore with a young, fellow rock-hound named Mikey and ice-cream at the family’s favorite dairy… “Moomers!” all combined to make a very special day.

Later around twilight, Al and I walked out on the golf course for a good view of the night sky. We hadn’t seen the Big Dipper—or many stars at all—in a long time. Too many city lights! It was a treat when the stars began to appear one by one.

Before long the sun disappeared completely. We were standing in the dark when Shanda’s voice called out, “Dad where are you?” She was wondering how we planned on finding our way back to the cottage. We hadn’t thought about that! In a few minutes, a flashlight bobbed its way from the edge of the trees and out onto the green, carried by a grinning Elliot.

Al and I packed things up and headed home the next morning with happy hearts and long-lasting memories of good times together.

Good news…Jesus is the light of the world, the light of our lives. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV) Not only does He guide our steps, He also carries our burdens. We only need to come to Him and ask.

*John 1:4-5a NIV