A Cabin
Rustic. Cozy. Secluded.
Just a few words that come to mind when I think of a cabin. “Cabins” have different definitions to different people, but most often, they are described by words that bring a sense of warmth to the heart.
“Which cabin are you in?”
“Who’s in your cabin?”
“Save me a good bunk!”
In a summer camp cabin, what’s less important is what the cabin looks like, how old it is, or how it is decorated. The more important details become what happens WHILE you’re staying in THAT cabin for THAT week of summer camp. Maybe you met your best friend, learned more about the Bible, or braved homesickness and chiggers there. Your cabin was your “home” and your cabin mates were your “family” for that week, or for however long your camp lasted. You never wanted to leave, but were always glad to get back to your own bed...and air conditioning!
If you were to visit your cabin during the off-season, there would be so much missing because a cabin is so much more that the building. I’m thankful that the summer camp cabins that I’ve experienced, whether as a young camper or as an adult staff member, have blended in with nature and have been less than perfect buildings. I'm thankful that they absorbed the life and energy of the people in them and the beauty of God’s creation that surrounded them. I still look forward to going back every summer.
I also think of a cabin in a beautiful mountain valley next to a peaceful river. Once again, I think of the “cabin” as a special place, but it definitely wasn’t an impressive little building.
It was the LOCATION of the cabin and the EXPERIENCES I had with my family while I was there that made this cabin special.
...the opportunity to gasp at the beauty and MAJESTY of the creation GOD has given us
…the moment of peace and yet extreme HUMILITY as I reflected on both the grandeur and simplicity of the creation
…the JOY of feeding a tiny chipmunk by hand while being tiny myself in the shadow of mountain peaks
…A place I long to return to and fondly remember.
A cabin provides security and safety, a place to be away from day-to-day life, to be intertwined with nature, yet to have a place to rest comfortably. You see, a cabin is unique because it’s often a place we travel to in order to enjoy OTHER THINGS besides the cabin itself. Yet, when we talk about it, we say we can’t wait to go to “THE CABIN”. When a place or experience in our lives means so much more than just itself, IT MUST BE PRETTY SPECIAL.
Just the other day, a customer asked me to make a shower curtain for the bathroom in her little cabin in the woods. She sent photos and told me how she is redecorating it. She told me of the bathtub that is in perfect condition, yet is old and uniquely blue in color. She wanted a shower curtain that would accent the blue tub and pull it all together. That conversation got me thinking about cabins and how each is special to its owner or visitor in its own special way. Whether it’s a unique blue tub, a certain smell of summer camp, or the beauty and splendor surrounding it, the VALUE of the cabin is so much more than could be seen on the outside. I hope that you value those little (but big) experiences as much as I do!
