The Swing Set

It started as an innocent comment to my husband.
I should know after thirty-seven years of marriage that these kind of comments generate action.
Usually, I’m more careful.
This time; however, it just came out.

We really need to get the swing set ready.
There it was.
I happened to look outside and saw the swing set.
I could easily picture our precious granddaughter on the swings.

This swing set has served us well over the years.
It was built by my husband.
It is sturdy; it holds four swings.
A separate fort is next to the swing set.

This swing set has seen many years of play.
The fort has a colorful tarp as a roof, which has been replaced a few times.
The fort has a steering wheel at one end.
That steering wheel transported our children anywhere their imagination could take them.

They could climb out of the fort or they could slide down.
Sliding down seemed to be their preferred way of coming back to earth.
A swinging rope and a rope ladder finished the fort.
I can see each of them playing there in my mind’s eye.

I think the slide needs to be cleaned up, I said to my husband.
Maybe we can buy some new swings and a new colorful tarp for the roof.
Maybe we should just get a new one, he answered me.
I knew that was coming; I knew his mind was already going down that road.

He went into his office.
At least an hour went by before he came out.
I have a few options for you, he said holding his laptop.
He put his computer on the island and showed me what he found.

Some swing sets were too elaborate.
One was quite simple and would have been my choice.
However, that swing set was not any better than the one we already have.
That swing set was not designed and built by my husband.

We went out onto the deck without our coats.
It was cold.
We pointed, and imagined, and discussed keeping our swing set.
I began to convince my husband that was the best option.

I do want to move it closer to the deck, I told him.
Right now, the swing set is very close the woods.
It is shady there, however, deer ticks are a problem.
I do not want our grandchildren too close to the woods when the ticks are most prevalent.

When my children were young, deer ticks were not a concern.
The deer population has exploded in our area.
With the increase in the deer population, the increase in deer ticks was inevitable.
I want to protect them as best we could.

I could power wash the swing set, my husband agreed.
I can take the slide down to my workshop and buff it up a bit.
I can stain everything and check all the hardware.
I can buy new swings and a new tarp for the roof.

That was all I wanted from the beginning.
I knew he needed to consider all the options before agreeing that was best.
I want to be able to say: Pop-Pop made this swing set, I told him.
He smiled and realized that was important to him, too.

It was a video my daughter sent that got me thinking.
They have a park near their home.
The video was of my sweet granddaughter swinging on the swing.
Her little legs were kicking in delight.

My daughter would grab the swing and hold it for a few seconds.
Ready? She asked.
One. Two. Three. Wheeeee!
My granddaughter laughed that wonderful belly laugh that children do so well.

I could picture her on Pop-Pop’s swing set.
I could imagine me pushing her.
I could hear myself saying the same poem I said to my children all those years ago.
I still remember every word of, The Swing, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green, 
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again, 
Up in the air and down!

I would recite that poem as I pushed my children on the swing.
They were learning poetry without even realizing it.
What is it about a swing?
What is it about the freedom, the abandon?

Another grandbaby is due this spring.
Pop-Pop’s swing set will get a lot of use, as God allows.
I could not be more thrilled.
We do not need new and improved when we have hand made and sturdy.

It was a labor of love then.
It is a labor of love now.
Our children spent many hours playing and imagining.
It is the next generation’s turn; I have so much more to tell them.

We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78:4)

Addendum:
After writing this, I made a cup of tea.
My husband knocked on the kitchen door.
He had been outside inspecting the swing set, seeing what needed to be done.
Can you come outside and check this out with me? He asked.

I got my coat and put on my outside shoes.
I walked into the back yard towards the woods and the swing set.
There was a sadness about him.
We can’t save this, he said and my heart broke just a little bit.

My heart did not break because of the swing set itself.
It broke because I saw the reality of the passage of time.
Time takes its toll on everything after a while.
My husband built that swing set when our youngest daughter was one year old.

We had a swing set in our other house, but we left it there for the new owners.
This set was special since it was my husband’s design.
He showed me the way the header is slightly warped.
He showed me where carpenter bees made a nest.

We have to replace it, he said a bit wistfully.
But I can build a new one, he added with a glimmer in his eye.
It may be a bit smaller than this one, but it will be sturdy.
It will be a new one for all the grandkids, he added with pride.

That’s ok, I said and meant it.
Are you sure? He asked, searching my face for signs of disappointment.
It’s really ok,  I assured him.
A new swing set for a new generation, I added.

Pop-Pop’s swing set, that is yet to be built, will be a labor of love, just like the one before.

2 responses to “The Swing Set”

1. This resonates deeply with me. We have a swing set at our house, too. Daniel built it many years ago, and I love it so much. At one end, it has a porch swing, where couples and oldsters and groups of children can swing together. Next to it, there is a baby swing. That swing has gotten hours and hours of use over the years. And then, hanging at somewhat differing heights, there are three more swings. Our children swang and swang. Church picnics, Bible study gals family picnics, family reunions, even strangers who visited our rental trailer across the yard. People, young and old, are attracted to a swing set. I don’t think ours needs replacing, but Daniel has long talked of adding a tree house and a sliding board. You know, Gina, I think our husbands would really like each other. Daniel has been making so many things in his shop since he’s retired, and there is something so attractive about a guy who has so many things that he does well, but in his very heart is an artist that turns ideas into estheticaaly pleasing as well as useful things. With grand babies invading our lives, time is so precious. But if we would head up your way some day, could the four of us get together? Or maybe you guys would want to come here. That would work, too. At least think about it.

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   • Oh, MaryAnn, how wonderful that our husbands are so similar. You are always welcome in our home. I would love for us to get together. We can message each other privately about possible dates. In the meantime, blessings, friend.
     Gina

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