Building a Memory

This Memorial Day weekend our family is building something big.  Really big.  So big, in fact, that if you were 8 years old, you might even call it EPIC!  It’s……..a treehouse!

Did you have a treehouse when you were a kid?  I didn’t, but I sure wanted one.  How awesome is it when you’re young to have your own place to play and dream and store all your treasures!  A place that is all your own.  Far enough away to feel like you’re all by yourself, but close enough to hear “Dinner” being called.  Ahhhh, the magic of a treehouse!

My husband and I want many things for our boys, but more than anything we want them to know we love them more than we could ever express (my husband would say this in a much more manly, Marine-like way, but he shares my sentiment).  Sometimes we show that love through going to all their Cub Scout meetings and events,  sometimes through hugs and tickles, sometimes through punishment and often through prayer.  But on this 3-day weekend, we show it by building them a treehouse.  (Actually, just my husband built it with the help of both boys, but I did provide all food and beverages so I think that counts).

The treehouse is made from a few 2x4’s, plywood, nails and bolts, and a camouflage tarp, with a whole lot of sweat, determination, and hard work.  It’s only about 20 square feet, but it’s big enough to hold the dreams of two little boys.  It’s their play area, their hideout, their kingdom.  A place where they can bring their friends to play; a place where their imaginations can run wild.  A place they will have all but forgotten when they get their driver’s license.  A place they will long for as they first move out on their own and realize how tough the world can be sometimes.

While I can see how thrilled my boys are about this, I wonder if I’m even more excited knowing that we’re not just building a treehouse.  We’re building confidence, independence, dreams, and love.  We’re building a family bond.  We’re building a memory.