Behind the Cascade Lodge Restaurant

A unique place in the world – My boys and I stand at a point.

 I look ahead and up at the steep stairway,
  Moss covered wood railing
  Uneven steps that lead to the bright sunlit trees at the top of a ridge.
 that we are about to go up.
 I look behind and see the creek 
  Rock covered
  A pleasant, trickling stream flowing
  Water that has come from deep inside the thick north woods forest
  And is heading into the great lake
 I look to my left and see a small wooden cabin.
  With a chimney
  And a few small windows
 I look to my right and see the back of a restaurant.
We are above it, so we see mostly roof.
  We see the exhaust vents from the kitchen
  The back of this building is flat and dark

But one might ask – what is the poignancy here?
And sir, my answer:

 Looking ahead, I see steps that will be a happy challenge
for a three year old to climb 
  and for a six year old to count 
  and for a five year old who can’t wait to look down from the top of the ridge.
 Looking behind, I see the lowest part of a creek
That just two days ago, my boys and I hiked up
I see rocks that we all worked together to get across
 Looking to the left I see a cozy getaway log cabin
  Where my wife and I have spent romantic nights
  Listening to a crackling fire inside
 and the trickling creek outside.
 Looking to the right (Although it is not pretty to look at from this view)
 I see the dining hall
where we have eaten many pancakes
my one-year-old son smiled at old ladies
 who smiled back
  and my two-year-old showed her pink and blue crayon drawings
to another artist, fifty years older.

And what of those near things that are out of site?
Not quite in view?
 Looking ahead I think of the much larger river
   Beyond the steps
   Perhaps a third of a mile away
   With canyons and pine trees and tall wooden bridges
  Carving it’s place into the rock
 Looking behind I think of the cozy main lodge
   Beyond the creek
  With the old magazines and pictures
  And the grandiose fireplace.
  And grand piano where my wife and her sister once played a duet
Looking to the left I think of the open outdoor chapel among pine trees
  Beyond the log cabin
 Where a family sat and prayed and sang and read from the bible
And looking beyond the restaurant to my right, I think of the great lake
 Powerful and majestic
 Reflecting the power and majesty of it’s Creator
 Our presence here is what I tried to describe in the Georgia Hospital.
It’s good to be here.
I wonder . . .
What do others see when they come to this spot?

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