Thursday, March 26, 2009

Redecorating the Future with the Past

Scott loved tools from a very young age and to build something with his hands was his ultimate form of play. If there was a job to be done, and he could use his tools, he would beg to do it. If he stayed home from school sick, I knew he would complete some "fix it" job around the house while I was at work.

During his sophomore year, Scott was very excited to help Dayn, his youth pastor, remodel the old barn our church used as its youth center. It turned out to be one of his last projects before his fatal accident.

When Scott died two months later, the youth group decided to rename the barn, Scotty's Place. It was a thoughtful way to remember Scott and also acknowledge the hole left in their midst by his absence.

Age and weather eventually took its toll on the old barn, and it became a safety hazard. The leaders of the church told us about the situation a few years ago, and graciously asked for our input. From a logical position, a decision was not hard to make; the building could not remain standing if it could collapse on someone. But from an emotional perspective, the choice to demolish it was complicated; Scotty's Place would be no more. We gave our vote to have the old barn taken down, but we asked to keep some of the old window frames as a memory of Scott and his work on the place.

The day for demolition finally came. Just before the bulldozer moved in, some friends gently removed three window frames from the sides of the old barn. Then, in a matter of minutes, we watched as Scotty's Place became a pile of rubble.

We recently did some painting and redecorating in our house. (Scott would have loved to be there - especially pulling the old built-in bookcase out of the wall!) We gave a fresh coat of paint to one of the window frames from Scotty's Place and decided it looked great as an accent piece hanging by our dining room table.

Like the youth group, there will always be Scotty's Place in our hearts and home. Now, there is a window in our home; to provide a glimpse of the past and to remind us to focus on the future, when we will experience a blessed reunion one day.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bonnie, your messages and verses and statement of life are such an inspiration to me....Bless you. As I walk this new path along side Don with his health issues I count on all of the ways God is using to speak to me besides His Word,and they are numerous and treasured..thanks for sharing your heart with us in such a meaningful way....

Anonymous said...

Bonnie, I had trouble with the way to get this published so I chose anonymous and it went through. This is from JoyceYostNelson

Don B. said...

Couldn't think of a more appropriate place for that window...over the dining room table...the embodiment of everything that represents family and great fellowship. What a wonderful reminder of meaningful days past...as well as a "view" to the future...and the anticipation of seeing Scott again.

Tamara B said...

This is a very interesting realization for me because I was home this fall and stood outside of Scotty's place while the kids played in the equipment in the church yard. Was Scotty's place gone and it had become such a permanent place in my heart that I didn't realize it??? This thought blows my mind!

Bonnie said...

Very interesting, indeed, Tammy! Yes, Scotty's Place is deeply embedded in who we are, but the physical building is not more.

If your kids were playing on the playground at KFBC, they were playing ON Scotty's Place. Kinda' cool when it is put that way - YOUR Scott playing on MY Scott's memorial spot!

Love you for remembering along with all of us!

Bonnie said...

Don, such a great comment.

I had not thought of the notion of the dining room table being THE gathering spot of the family!

Thanks for increasing the value of my decision on where to place the precious linking object!

Tamara B said...

This still blows my mind and brings tears to my eyes. Now I'm wondering how I could not notice or at least not remember noticing that Scotty's Place was gone... the things we take for granted!

I have lots of old memories in that place and on that church property in general. I'm so thankful for that piece of real estate and those people who truly made it a church to so many of us.

Jillb said...

Bonnie,

How sweet to have that window. I still have a picture of a bunch of us out in front of Scotty's Place. Such sweet memories for all of us there, especially before Scott's death. My favorite memory of him being the Jack of all trades is him nailing his ring holder in to the wall next to his bead for his class ring. I made fun of him endlessly for that. Yet, how creative could he be. And you are right, he'll always live on in our hearts and endless funny stories!

Anonymous said...

I drove thru Kingsburg a while back and was literally stunned to see the barn gone! It was worth rebuilding, if only for the boy who put a bit of himself into it. Sometimes progress and practicality, aren't.

Sweet deal to keep the window and display it as an integral part of your home - just as Scotty is an integral part of your soul and a view of Jesus' miraculous workmanship.

I tell the story of Scott Redfern often and the sorrow is still "there" at times. My Dad has been home for three years and I still want to call him all the time, only to realize he is beyond a call. Oh to have the joy of those who have gone before us overwhelm our minds turning the loss to gain!

It's the glorious sorrow of walking in the footsteps of our savior...

Dayn

Cousin Bev said...

What a wonderful story Bonnie. I love the picture of the window in your home.