The Lake

I packed all my necessities into the small duffel bag... shorts, t-shirts, hoodie, hat, toothbrush, a deck of cards, and a stack of about forty Archie comics.

We're going to the lake for the weekend! My absolute favourite place in the whole world. There's acres of treed land, walking paths, the "pit" (which I think was going to be a swimming pool), Grandma's flowers and gardens, the swing which Grandpa made for me, volleyball, badmintin, campfires, storytelling, singing and food... lots of delicious food.

You can kind of see "the pit" here in this picture (it's lined with black plastic).

It was a two and a half hour drive but the monotonous scenery of pavement, rolling hills and farmers' fields was worth it. Besides, I had my Archie comics! I have such fond memories of our family gathering to relax, eat and play.

Me and my dog, Bumblebee. She loved the lake too!

I also remember how much I cried when my grandparents sold their acreage. My summers would never be the same....

Almost two decades later, my parents bought a lake lot. Childhood memories have come back to life as we have tried to recreate some of the "magic" that takes place when you go to the lake.

First there's the excitement of getting ready for the trip. We pack our bags, we listen to music while motoring down the highway, we converse about our hopes and dreams (which often includes plans for how we would spend the millions of dollars that we'll have one day). We sing loudly along to the music that's playing and we stop for Tim Horton's treats along the way.

As we pull up the driveway to the lake lot, we're immediately greeted by my mom or dad, waving and approaching the car to give us hugs. Then there's Mignon who barks and playfully jumps to greet us. My brother strolls up and gives us hugs as well.

We're here.

We get so much joy from being at the lake... building a campfire, roasting marshmallows, making walking paths, riding the "tractor" (which is actually a lawnmower), playing ladder toss, looking at magazines, talking, and relaxing.

I get to watch my girls explore nature... the flowers, the bugs, the butterflies, the grass, and the woodpecker who frequently stops in to look for insects to eat.

Lots of bugs to discover while we're at the lake!

My mom and I talk while preparing supper. Making dinner is often a chore while in the city but out here it's different, almost special. The family gathers around the picnic table and we eat while soaking in the fresh air and one another's company.

My dad ends the day with a firework of my daughter's choice. It's usually around seven o'clock... the sky is still light, but the anticipation, excitement, and sound of the firework is what really matters to her.

We load back into the car. My family stands and watches as we back our car out. They're waving to us... and we're already thinking about the next time we can come back to the lake.

To some, it may seem a simple delight... but to us, our time here is precious, beautiful and magical.




A special thank you to Sofia from Sofia's Ideas for creating this blog posting link-up. There is a lot of "magic" in all of our lives... sometimes you just have to look for it.

Posted by Jennifer - The Deliberate Mom

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