"A Leap of Faith Never Fails"
How it all began….
“A Leap of Faith Never Fails”
Many years ago we “accidently stumbled” upon Sleeping Bear Dunes and Leelanau County on our way home from the U.P. of Michigan. We loved everything about it, from the small towns, the appreciation of “local” things, the beautiful beaches, the amazing National Park programs, the recreation opportunities in the area, the "big dune", and the family friendly feel. We liked it so much, we went back for a second week that summer. From that moment on there was not a summer we would miss or wouldn’t crave for our time as a family in Leelanau County. The summer of our “accidental stumbling” we had two young children, we were a young family, with dreams that someday we would be there. We had dreamt real estate, but created memories simply in a tent willing to sleep overnight in our car outside of D.H. Day campground just to hopefully get a spot in the morning. Of course there was “uncertainty” in getting the spot which somehow seemed part of the adventure. We were young and when we came back with stories of the car line, car seats, windows nearly completely shut for the night due to bears, sleeping golden retriever in the middle of the minivan isle, bathing in Lake Michigan with biodegradable soap, no toys just the imagination of the kids in the woods, it seemed like a story that nobody else could share. We even lived through the epic straight line storm in a tent in 2015, and somehow still couldn’t wait for the next year to come. Since that first summer we went from two kids, to two kids plus a golden retriever, and since doubled to 4 kids plus a golden retriever.
Like any young family, you begin to grow and go through stages. We were at a crossroads where we weren’t really sure what direction we would go. I was walking through a store in Empire, Michigan, called The Secret Garden probably begging the kids not to touch anything, and came across a tiny square sign that read “A Leap of Faith Never Fails”. I took a picture with my cell phone that would now seem so outdated compared to the technology we use today. That tiny sign has led to many decisions that we have made. It is true, with much thought and careful planning, somehow “A Leap of Faith Never Fails”. Not one of the many decisions we have made since have I looked back at in regret.
After the 2015 storm, our tent camping days ended. The tent didn’t completely make it and we decided we were “aging” as parents and maybe a vintage 1976 used pop up that barely fit our family would do the trick, we would no longer be sleeping on the ground but would still have the campground memories with all the wonderful people we had met over the years. When we strung the peace flags and string lights from the awning it truly felt like our own little oasis. 2020 came around and it was the year of the pandemic. We milled around the idea of should we really take the kids on a vacation in a pandemic. The school year was about to start and it was hard to not take our vacation in Pure Michigan. We decided we would do the trip, a shorter time, but nonetheless the trip and the following week the kids would be headed back to school. We got excited, and the day came…it was a go or else summer would be gone. We started out, stopped at the gas station up the road from home to fill up, pulled out of the gas station and made it no more than five more minutes when a car going the opposite direction at a traffic light did not stop and went at full speed into the turn lane, pushing the waiting car in the turn lane, into our car. I give thanks to this day and will every day for the rest of my life, that all of the children were physically fine. My husband and the kids got out of the minivan quickly and I realized I couldn’t move. I was taken via ambulance to the hospital and my parents got the unforgettable call that no parent wants to receive that we have been in a car accident, can you come pick the kids up from the side of the road.
Being in a life changing moment like that changes completely how you think. I am approaching my two year “femurversary” this August. From the hospital bed, I knew this wasn’t it for me. I knew that for the kids, I would make a comeback and felt gracious for a second chance to do so. I was driven by being able to take my kids again to Michigan because we hadn’t missed a year since the first visit of taking their picture on the iconic bench on the Empire Bluff Trail, or the epic climb up “the dune”, or to gather on the planters outside the Harbor House in Leland for ice cream, and I wasn’t about to ever miss that special time again. After all, this was what our summers and family memories were made of. In two years I have gone from having a femur reconstruction (broken in 3) to relearning how to move. I give thanks and feel humbled every single day just to be here, to be able to spend time with my family, to be able to move and walk and not take it for granted. I learned that there is no guarantee. Life is full of unknowns and you never know what could happen. Just like that day two years ago. I thought I was going on a vacation with my family to the place I loved, but in an instant my life was changed. These moments push us to do what we have always wanted.
This is how a “Slice of Leelanau” became. I want to wake up every single day with no regrets, knowing you never know when it will be your last. I want to watch my children grow on the shores of Lake Michigan, and some day watch their children do the same. Because “A Leap of Faith Never Fails” a “Slice of Leelanau” came to be, it was long awaited and dreamt of. An adorable little white cottage, on a quiet street that ends at a neighborhood park, in an adorable little town with cute restaurants, wineries, and small businesses, close to Lake Michigan that holds so many untold tales of adventure and exploration yet to be, and so many Leelanau County memories for many families yet to come.
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