I looked at him like wow, this is true kindness (and you are crazy.)

The best moments in life are teachable. I never used to believe this, until I witnessed my husband teach my boys what is and makes a good Samaritan. You know the saying, “what goes around comes around.” It is the lesson in life you train your kids to be good to people, because you never know who you are being good to, or that phrase as a parent you say repeatedly, “be good to others because you don’t know who’s watching you.”

We were summering at a cottage on Good Harbor Bay near Lake Leelanau. We ventured out to the lake on a beautiful summer’s day. We boated on Lake Leelanau with our boys at “Fudgey Beach.” We loved this-the boys swimming, floating on rafts, and tubing – great relaxation medicine! The boat floating next to us had a family with the most beautiful golden retrievers on board. We chatted with the family and commented on how well behaved the dogs were. We decided, as my husband said, “pull up shop” to head back to the cottage for dinner and a beautiful summer sunset.

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Their fond memories exuberate, like a family cottage, charm and comfort.

Leave a legacy of integrity and good will. Defining the family cottage means: joy, relaxation, summer skies that go on forever, walks along the beach, skipping stones, bonfires, children laughing, our chocolate and yellow labs running through the water, fireflies, good friends, serenity and peace.

Experiencing the cottage life brings you closer to the wonder of God’s beauty. You wish it would go on forever. We spent summers, it seems for a lifetime, in northern Michigan. Our twins, now 15, were two and our 18-year-old at the time was four. Since teens are very enduring and unique, I decided to ask them to define the word “cottage.” One of the twins responded with, “a house by a lake where you hang out on the beach.” The cottage, he stated, would be by a town with good places to go, and good people to see. The other twin described a cottage as nice, quiet and beautiful. He remembered swimming, tubing behind the boat, and our dogs running on the beach. Our 18-year-old described a cottage as something on the water.

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“As reported by the Detroit Free Press (see article below) there is unprecedented opportunity for those who have dreamed of owning a vacation home, cottage or cabin to make that dream come true.

After the purchase is completed, furniture moved in and the first family barbeque is voted a success – and cleaned up after, and your children and/or grandchildren are nursing their first sunburn of the summer season, what’s next?

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