Two Hearted Memories

I've only been there once.  Kevin has been there multiple times. This is where his family vacationed every October for two weeks along with a few summer visits here and there.  For Kevin's dad, Grandpa Sheck, he has been going to this place every year for at least 60 years.  Once he retired he started spending most of September and October there spending his "fishing money".  It was Grandpa Sheck's dad who first introduced him to this wonderful place for fishing and camping.  The place is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The closest town, Newberry, is about 30 miles away.  A fourteen mile drive on a dirt road takes you to the campground that lies at the mouth of the Two Hearted River where it spills into Lake Superior.

The above picture is Grandpa Sheck's home away from home.  Of course it began as a place to pitch a tent, then they started bringing their fifth wheel up before finally making it a more permanent structure.  This is the place I visited.  We visited in August 2004.  I was six months pregnant with Sofia.  The sun would not set until almost 10:30 p.m. Once it did the night sky was a glow with a spectacular display of stars.  The air was refreshing and I spent many hours listening to Grandpa Sheck share his memories.  Kevin's mom had just passed away the year before.  The shed in the above picture was named "Shirl's Barn".  She had always wanted a red barn so Kevin's dad made sure she had one.  What I enjoyed most was reading through notebooks that Kevin's mom had kept as a journal of their doings each time they visited.  The notebooks went back to the late 80s.  Most of the entries told of time spent searching for agates on the shore of Lake Superior, the outings to the nearby lighthouse, and about who came with them that time around.

A couple of weeks ago a wildfire that began from a strike of lightening whipped through this area.  It was a devastating fire that destroyed the nearby Rainbow Lodge and many homes and trailers.  Sadly, Grandpa Sheck and Uncle Paul's trailers were some of those that didn't make it.  This past weekend, Grandpa Sheck was finally able to travel up north to see the damage.  

Last night Kevin shared these pictures with the kids.  This is a place that we had hoped to take them for the first time this July.  It is a place he himself loved going to as a kid.  But while Kevin can no longer share this exact place, this is what he did share with the kids.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where theives break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be."

Matthew 6:19-21

We are thankful for places to visit, we are thankful for memories, but we are more thankful for relationships. With the greatest relationship being one that we have with Jesus Christ.