Minnesota Cabin Dreams: Reshaping My Retirement
…We began talking about our cabin dream again. It’s something we do every year. Every year we talk. We dream. And then we go back home to Michigan...
At the end of the school year, with my retirement approaching, my fellow staff members celebrated with me by throwing a couple of parties. As friends and coworkers shook my hand or gave me a hug, their “Congratulations!” was usually followed by, “What are your plans for retirement?”
A couple of obvious answers were “spend more time with my grandson” and “focus more on my writing hobby.” Other than that, I really had no plan. At the time, I was too busy ending my career to think about my next steps. And besides, I had once read that it was best to figure things out after one had retired.
If you have recently retired or plan to do so soon, what are your plans? Do you have a list of all the things you’ve been wanting to do, if only you had the time? Or are you looking into a void with no passions to pursue? While I had some ideas for how I’d spend my time, I looked forward to a blank slate. I figured once my days were free, I could explore the endless possibilities and decide which ones to pursue.
Unbeknownst to me, God had already drawn up some big plans and I was about to receive a message on that empty slate.
“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” (Jer 18:2)
As we prepared for our annual family vacation in Minnesota, and even as we enjoyed our first week there–unwinding, fishing, reading, visiting with extended family–we were unaware of the calling that was right around the corner, the message we were about to receive.
Before I go on, let me share a little history. My family’s tradition of Minnesota vacations goes back to my grandfather. He took my grandma, my mom and her five siblings to the lake every summer. Then my parents did the same for me and my four siblings. My aunts, uncles, and cousins have all been part of this tradition as well. Minnesota has been my home away from home for as long as I can remember.
Me, enjoying an ice cream cone with my grandparents, in Minnesota. Circa 1967.
In the early days of our marriage, I shared with Tom my dream of someday owning a cabin on a lake “Up North”. As time went on, my dream became Tom’s dream as well. And although the drive to get there is long (nearly 12 hours on the road), the lakes in central Minnesota seem “just right” to us–not over-crowded, but also not uncivilized. We cherish the eagle sightings, the bike trails, the song of the loons, and the glorious sunrises and sunsets.
Back to my story. On Saturday evening, at the end of our first week of vacation, we took a walk around a nearby resort with our kids. We began talking about our cabin dream again. It’s something we do every year. Every year we talk. We dream. And then we go back home to Michigan.
But this year, the dream took hold of us.
After our walk, we stopped for ice cream and our cabin conversation continued, which led to online real estate searches that evening. One particular search result jumped out at me and when I shared it with Tom, his interest was piqued as as well. In what seemed like an unreal turn of events, within two days we had made an offer on a cabin, and it was accepted by the seller! We were in shock. (For a few more details on how things transpired, check out my lake logs from July 9-11. I didn’t publish them earlier, as I waited for things to finalize.)
The cabin-on-a-lake dream has been just that–a dream–for so long, that I’m still waiting for someone to pinch me, only to wake up and find out it really isn’t so.
What dreams have you had? Small dreams? Big dreams? Medium-sized dreams? Whatever they are, hang onto them. You never know when all the stars will align and suddenly your dream becomes your reality!
Last week, at a little title office in Park Rapids, Minnesota, with Tom on the phone at home, we closed on our cabin. My sister joined me for a week of cleaning and nesting…in my new nest!
“So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.” (Jer 18:3)
While we’ve been focused on the cabin, our two daughters, who’ve lived at home for the past 15 months, have both been making plans to move out. The youngest is going to grad school this fall at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The older daughter found a roommate and an apartment in our community that is closer to her work and will also give her the independence she’s been yearning for.
And so, with only two months of retirement under my belt, I’m now on the verge of empty-nesting (again), and will have two nests to maintain, improve, and enjoy! I’m excited about my Empty Nest 2.0!
From the outside, all this might sound picture-perfect. But reality is never that way.
The past month has not been without complications. In the middle of moving our daughter to Wisconsin, my “check engine” light came on, and after a series of phone calls and mechanic inquiries, they told us we need a new engine! Uhhgg! One of the replacement parts is on back order with no arrival date. So, my car is stranded at a Ford dealership in Evansville, Wisconsin for the foreseeable future.
Our cabin is also not perfect. The purchase agreement stated it would be sold “as is.” Sadly, the elderly couple who had built the cabin had both shown signs of dementia before moving to assisted living. There is a bathroom remodel project that’s half-done, and several other items that were never completed or need a little fixing up. Not to mention lots of old “stuff” they left behind for us to clean up and sort through.
Still, I’m not complaining. There are no problems so daunting that the view from our deck or the song of the loons can’t overcome!
“...The pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” (Jer 18:4)
We never know what God has in mind for us. He can take a void and fill it–a blank slate and write on it. He can take our misshapen, overly busy, work-centered, but meaningful lives, and reshape them into new, still-bustling, purposeful lives.
So what purpose do I see in this new unfolding of a dream? And why do I think God sent me this message in the form of a cabin? How do we know we haven’t just made a rash decision? (Entirely possible. But I hope that’s not the case.)
Sometimes when all the pieces of an elaborate puzzle fall into place just right, you get the feeling that it was God-ordained. This was one of those puzzles. It was also an answer to prayer.
The night before we made the offer on the cabin, Tom and I lay awake in bed, unable sleep. Although we had each been praying silently about this big move, we hadn’t prayed aloud. I reached for his hand and said, “we need to pray.” We asked that God’s will be done and that we would be content, whatever the outcome. (We found out later there were three other bids besides ours, so there easily could have been another outcome.)
We also prayed that if this cabin was meant to be for us, that God would use it to bring us closer to Him, closer to each other, and closer to our family and friends. Our answered prayers come with a responsibility and a calling. Wherever we find ourselves–at work or at play, at home or away–we are called to listen to His voice and trust His hand will guide us to do the next right thing.
Pottery left behind by the previous owners. A good reminder that the shape of things can be changed in the hands of the Creator.
Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you…as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand...” (Jer. 18:5-6)
After working for most of ones life, it’s hard to know what shape our retirement will take until we get there. We might be reshaped and equipped for new pursuits. That reshaping might even involve some struggle, sacrifice, and pain. But it’s in the struggle that we can find a new purpose, an unexpected calling, a surprising adventure.
And sometimes, maybe, a dream come true.