I was shocked when I saw how big Lake Michigan was. It was vast like the ocean but with a calm I had never seen. Through the clear blue water, I could see to the bottom and I fell in love.
I was invited to the cottage for the first time about 15 years ago, right after my sister’s divorce. I was in pain about the divorce and I cried so hard the first night I settled in. In the midst of my tears, I was visited by the close hoot of an owl, and I know he /she heard me. The cold dark sky contrasted by the warm fire in the cottage that night helped welcome me to the Midwest The rural lake Michigan cottage holds generations of memories; grassy dunes with rolling hills, old boats and bonfires on the beach, a family’s commitment to closeness, and a shared love and respect for the natural world. I felt it all and was soothed.
Watching sunset from the family’s angular wooden deck, I shot this and a few other photos. Many years later, when I constructed my website, I took the leap of sharing my heart publicly and placed it there. Each time I open my site, I am reminded of my connection to the lake, my short and powerful visits there and the aliveness and peace I walked away with each time.
Along with the beauty and magnificence of our natural world, we are faced daily with onslaughts of environmental, political, and social disasters. And because this world can feel like so harsh and frightening a place to live, it is all the more important, in my opinion, that we stay connected to places and people who bring us closer to the peace and sustenance that continues to live on.
Please take a few moments to think about some of the places and /or people that bring you close to the parts of you and the world that you love most. Share if you like to. The more we hear, the more we know and remember.
With appreciation, Deborah.
