Footprints in the Sand

And so the time has come to bid a reluctant farewell to this little piece of paradise on the shores of Lake Michigan. Two glorious weeks immersed in the true heart of Summer. Fun and frolicking with family and friends in company with sand, stones, stars and sky. Walking on the beach, hiking in the woods, swimming in the front and back lakes, canoeing and kayaking, twilight volleyball, kickball, paddleball, cornhole on the beach, watching the sun set night after night from the deck, drinks in hand. Delicious dinners and too many desserts, evening board games and card games and one night at the Drive-in Movie Theater. Time to read, time to talk, time to tell stories and time to just sit still and let the beauty of this world wash over me. 

 

50 years of memories in this place—the young man with his girlfriend soon to become wife, the young parent watching his children grow taller against the horizon, the older parent enjoying his young adult children, the grandparent sharing it all again with his grandchildren, one almost now as tall as me. My wife’s parents and mine still here as an ancestral presence and photos on the mantelpiece. The waves of time come and go, washing away my footprints in the sand. Still I walk onward while I can, with a heart filled with great gratitude.