a legacy of building
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about dreaming of what my backyard could be one day. I wrote about the struggle between my outdoor pinterest boards and the reality of budgets and a small picnic table. I also shared about how my boys wanted to use their money to buy my big tables for hosting and make my some of my backyard ‘dreams’ come true.
I was grateful for our one picnic table and the struggle of never having enough room at our table for all those that find their way to our yard.
Chris and the boys decided to take matters into their hands. With Lowe’s giftcards in hand, they set off to start building me tables while I was at my sister’s Backyard Gardening Workshop. Thankfully, they didn’t get too far because building something makes me so happy and I got to join in the fun.
My dad and grandpa have always welcomed me to join them when they build. The smell of sawdust always brings back fond memories of my grandpa’s woodshop. My dad is still teaching me how to use new tools and build new things. I am so grateful that for as long as I can remember they brought me alongside them. Instead of deciding I was too young or something was too dangerous or I would just make the job take longer – they taught me. They let me join them. They flamed the fires of building and working with my hands in me.
I’m so grateful for that legacy.
It is a legacy I hope to pass down in the same way to my kids.
I can’t handle her. Safety googles and filing her nails. There are not enough words to describe her personality. Delightfully surprising.
The tables still need benches and paint. We salvaged wood from an old fence for the legs, so I’m definitely going to have to paint that part. My ‘dream’ backyard involved tables out in the field under some kind of twinkly light structure. Chris pushed me to go ahead and start creating a space on our porch. He pushed me to use what we have available and make it work. He hung lights, used gift cards, found old wood and started creating a space that would make me smile.
The best part of our new tables…when friends and family gather around them for years to come, my kids will remember building them. A legacy of building and a legacy of gathering others. So much better than pinterest.
