On the Lake at Night

Things have been rather stressful around the house lately. We have been dealing with teenaged drama with David, and Lil Bit is firmly entrenched in the terrible 2's. Add to that 3 other kids and the return of summer heat indexes near 100, and you can imagine the chaos that has been building around the house.

So last night Dewayne and I decided to take our pontoon boat and go out on the lake. Officially we were fishing. In reality, for me at least, it was about getting out into a world that has recently been opened for me.

We got the pontoon boat last November. Dewayne cuts firewood to help support the family and last fall he traded 4 rick of firewood for a pick up tuck that needed work. Before he could bring the truck home, a guy offered to trade the boat for the truck.

The boat needed a lot of work and needless to say, he did some more trading and got the work done on the boat. He tweaked it some himself and bought old school bus seats at $10 a pop and installed them on the boat and we are now ready for adventures on the high seas...er the lake that we live near.

The family has a blast on the boat on hot days. The kids get a kick out of riding around seeing natre and of course swimming!

But for me, an incredible new world, the lake at night, has been opened up. Sometimes Dewayne and I go out at night and I am amazed at the tansformation.

Last night, we were cruising along the inky black water and the fog was swirling and dancing on the surface. The night creatures called from the banks in a chorus of crirps, croaks, and other unidentified song.

As Dewayne drove the boat, I stood at the front watching the water, which had become a mirror made of onyx, pass by. The cool, damp wind was blowing my hair wildly and smelled fresh and clean yet somehow exotic and mysterious.

With the stars flying past me overhead and the water flying past below me and the wind in my face, I felt like I was flying.

When we stopped to fish, we baited our poles, cast them out and waited. Not that I cared much if we caught anything. I sat back in my seat, looking out into the the night sky, wondering if the stars had ever been so close and so bright.

I sat like this, with the night creatures still singing, and meditated on things. I thought of serious issues and mundane things. I re-energized myself in the dark beauty of our Mother at night.

I told Dewayne that we need to bring the kids out like this, one at a time. All together, they would be too noisy and so wrapped up in who was doing what that they would miss most of the beauty. But one at a time, they could be still and open their eyes, ears, minds and hearts to this mysteriously beautiful world.

Blessed Be!