The Tree House Lesson...

We have kind of fallen behind on all the to-do items that owning a house requires. Life gets busy and if you aren't careful those things can really get away from you. However, those maintenance and house-cleaning items are not the only things that sometimes fall through the cracks...

The other day as Cory was finishing the install of our new Air-Conditioning system (insert happy dance from me!) he was up on the highest rung of the ladder and Brig stood below him staring up watching his dad work. Then he asked, "Dad, when are we going to build my tree house that we always talk about?"

 

 

Cory climbed down from the ladder and said, "Right now." They went straight over to the designated tree and I watched curiously out the kitchen window as they started to nail up boards.

 

 

I was so proud of that man I married when he and Brig explained to me their plan for the awesome tree house they were about to build. For the next week, we all worked on the fort every evening when Cory got home from work. The kids, especially Brig, were in heaven.

 

 

It turned out so great and they built the entire thing using recycled lumber! Brig drilled and screwed and passed wood and held levels and sanded and stained and talked and talked. It was really a fun experience for our family and serves as a great reminder to me of what really matters most.

 

 

The Family: A Proclamation to the World states that :

Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

 

 

This tree house project really embodied those last five principles listed.

 

 

I think it is also worth noting that the kids were much more enthusiastic about the process than they are about the finished project. I guess that just is a little reminder that we never 'arrive' and have to consistently and constantly strive for "successful marriages and families."