If you have been there, you will understand what I am about to try to explain.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been there, and I
would not even dare guess.
I am sure I was only days old when I made my first trip.
It’s a place that captivates you from the first time you
arrive and if you are lucky enough to watch a day come to an end there, the allure becomes even stronger to return.
There is nothing special about the location. It’s a small room on the front of a farmhouse,
a farmhouse that has stood tall for over 160 years.
I am not sure how long the small room has been around but suffice
to say, it has seen its share of sunsets.
What makes this place so special is hard to explain! There is
nothing fancy about the room. Its décor is
simple, and some might even say dated, although it has had a facelift in recent
years.
Its small, has no heat and serves only one purpose.
It has comfy chairs, an old couch , a couple small end tables and a
spot for a tv that can be used in the summer.
It has windows all around giving a hint to the mission of
this little room.
Its not big enough to play games or run around.
Its main purpose is
to draw you from wherever you are. To draw you so you can sit.
Simply sit.
Its bones are tired, and it sags a little here and shifts a
little there.
Yearly effort must be given to keep it in its place, it’s an
effort that ensures our ability to enjoy it as so many have done before us.
To look from the outside in, one would scoff at any claim of
being special or worthy of praise.
No, the allure is clearly not what is held within the walls
that creates the precious value for those of us who hold it dear.
No, it’s not within that
lure you, but its within that matters
most.
I can’t imagine how many hundreds of people have spent time
sitting in this small space .
As near as I can count 8 generations of Smiths have spent
time there, how many got the chance to enjoy the little room off the front I can’t
be sure.
So many conversations echo the walls of this little room and
so much silence as well as many just sit and enjoy the wonder this little room
has to offer.
I often feel that if I sit quietly long enough, I could hear
the fait echoes of Gram and Gramp as they sat and enjoyed so many evenings just sitting in this little
room.
I introduced my children to this room, and they spent many
evenings on Gramps knee having no idea of what they were a part of. Or how special the moment was as they sat in
this small room with their great grandfather watching another day end. A place
I had been so many years before.
I am trilled to be
able to introduce my grandchildren to this room as well. Although Gramp is gone the allure remains.
My grandchildren find
my father sitting in the chair of honor in this little room looking out as the
day passes by. The tradition continues.
Someday maybe my great grandchildren will be able to share
the wonder this little room has to offer.
This simple room, a room that captures your heart after the
first visit, is a room you will always want to return to once you have been
there.
If you have ever been to the “Farm” by now you know exactly what I am talking
about.
Yes, this little room where generations have shared sunsets
and watched the years go by is simply called, in my family…….
The porch.
I truly hope you have a porch!
