THE LOG CABIN

ONCE UPON A TIME...

BECAUSE IS THAT NOT HOW ALL GOOD STORIES BEGIN?

WHEN I WAS 5, MY MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER DIED.

ALTHOUGH I HAVE FEW MEMORIES OF HER NOW, I BELIEVE WE WERE 

FAIRLY CLOSE THEN.

ONE THING SHE OWNED THAT I ALWAYS LOVED WAS

A SMALL BOX THAT LOOKED LIKE A LOG CABIN.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INFATUATED WITH SMALL THINGS

SO I CAN REMEMBER PLAYING WITH THIS CABIN OFTEN,

OPENING THE TOP TO REVEAL THE INNER PAPER THAT

WAS PRINTED LIKE THE INSIDE OF A CABIN.

WHEN SHE DIED, MY AUNT LEE LEE WHO ALSO LIVED

IN THE OLD FAMILY HOTEL GAVE ME THIS LOG CABIN.

I HAVE TREASURED IT ALL MY LIFE, PLACING IN IT IMPORTANT THINGS:

MY COMMUNION VIEL AND PURSE

A FOOTBALL PHOTO OF MY COUSIN, BUDDY

LOVE LETTERS TO MY PARENTS

MY CHILDREN'S TEETH (yes I am that mama)

SILVER DOLLARS MY GODMOTHER GAVE ME AT EVERY HOLIDAY

JUST THINGS THAT REMAIN SPECIAL TO ME AND SPARK A MEMORY.

I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN I WOULD LEAVE IT TO A GRANDGIRL

WHEN I DIE BUT WONDERED, WHICH ONE?

THEN ONE DAY I AM SCROLLING THROUGH FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE

AND I FIND ANOTHER EXACTLY LIKE IT AT 

AN ANTQUE STORE IN THIBODAUX!

YES, I KNOW NOW THE HUNT WOULD BE ON TO BUY TWO MORE

AND LEAVE EACH GRANDGIRL ONE.

I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE STORE AND THE RARE FIND

IS ONLY 60 DOLLARS! A STEAL AS I HAVE SEARCHED THEM ON

EBAY AND THE CHEAPEST I HAD FOUND WAS 300 DOLLARS. 

ALTHOUGH THE STORE SAID THEY WOULD HOLD IT FOR ME,

THEY COULD NOT SHIP IT AND I COULD NOT COORDINATE

A DATE THAT I COULD PICK IT UP DURING THEIR HOURS OF OPERATION.

I TOLD THEM NOT TO HOLD IT, THAT I WOULD GET BACK TO

THEM AFTER I SPOKE TO MY NIECE, REBECCA AND ASK

HER TO PICK IT UP FOR ME.

HOWEVER, I NEVER MADE THE CALL TO MY NIECE.

I GOT BUSY WITH MY DAY, PUT IT ON THE BACK BURNER 

AND KIND OF JUST FORGOT ABOUT IT.

A MONTH WENT BY AND ONE DAY, I WAS PAINTING

IN MY STUDIO WHEN I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM REBECCA.

WE REMAIN CLOSE BUT WE DON'T GET TO TALK, TEXT OR VISIT

LIKE WE WOULD LIKE SO I IMMEDIATELY WAS EXCITED TO

SEE HER NAME ON MY PHONE.

ASTONISHMENT WITH THE PHOTO SHE SENT ME WITH THE CAPTION:

"LOOK WHAT I JUST FOUND AT THE ANTIQUE STORE"

I KNEW IMMEDIATELY WHERE SHE WAS AS IN THE PHOTO

WAS THE LOG CABIN!

THE VERY SAME ONE I HAD TRIED TO PURCHASE OVER

A MONTH BEFORE. WHAT MADE THIS MORE ASTONISHING

IS THAT WE HAD NEVER DISCUSSED THE LOG CABIN,

NOT THAT MONTH, NOT AS ADULTS

AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW SHE REMEMBERED MY OWN CABIN.

I WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK, HOW THESE THINGS COME TO BE.

I CALL HER RIGHT AWAY, I TRY AND EXPLAIN TO HER THE

STORY I TELL HERE NOW AND ASK HER WHAT MADE HER

SEND ME THAT PHOTO?

SHE RELATES THAT AS A LITTLE GIRL (she is 10 yrs. younger than me)

SHE HAS MEMORIES OF SITTING WITH ME ON MY BED

GOING THROUGH THE TREASURES I STORED THERE.

I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF HER MEMORY.

OF COURSE I TELL HER TO BUY IT AND I SEND HER THE

MONEY KNOWING THAT I WAS MEANT TO HAVE THIS LOG CABIN BOX.

THIS WEEK I MET UP WITH HER FOR LUNCH AND SHE DELIVERED TO ME

MY SPECIAL, GOD GIVEN CABIN.

OUR LUNCH WAS GREAT AS WE CAUGHT UP ON OUR LIVES

AND AS I USUALLY DO, I SAW THE BIGGER PICTURE THAT

THIS WAS NOT ONLY ABOUT A LOG CABIN BUT THE IMPORTANCE

THIS WOMAN PLAYS IN MY LIFE. AS WE

DISCUSSED ALL THE CHANGES IN OUR LIVES I REALIZED

THAT TIME WITH HER, HER FAMILY AND OTHERS I LOVE

NEED TO HAPPEN MORE THAN IT IS.

AS I HUNT FOR LOG CABIN NUMBER THREE, I KNOW I WILL

FIND IT BECAUSE IN MY LIFE, THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES

AND THE BIG MAN REMINDS ME IN THESE WAYS THAT

LIFE WITH THOSE WE LOVE IS MOST IMPORTANT.