Saturday, October 29, 2016

The Magical Properties of a Freely Acquired Firepit

The other day, on the way to dropping my oldest off at school, I saw that someone was getting rid of a firepit - it had a sign saying "Free". I let the wife know and she picked it up on her way back from work. 
Yesterday, using the serrated blade of my multitool, I sawed some wood that I had let dry out for a few days so we could roast some marshmallows for smores.
 My good camping saw is still down in storage in Tennessee, but I was able to get some wood cut for use in the firepit.

There was something oddly therapeutic in watching the flames jump out of the firepit with snow being in stark contrast all around us; the cold was refreshing and the warmth soothing - two great elements usually seen as enemies joining forces last night to make for a peaceful and joyful experience of a family coming together and enjoying God's creation. Did I mention that there were smores?
 After the flames had worked their magic, the oldest and I piled snow on top of the still smoldering embers to make sure that our brief night of enchantment did not end up as a nightmare for us and others.

I'm very grateful to God for allowing us to live here in Alaska, even if it is briefly (which we hope it isn't). I'm also grateful for all of the other places that we lived - those places helped to shape my family in so many different ways. But last night, as one daughter was cuddling with mom, and another cuddling on my arm (the baby was asleep), I felt a deep peace that I've not felt in other places for a very long time. Alaska is where my family needs to be right now as it seems that we are all doing better in our own ways.

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