#88 – Adopt Another Motherland

There’s something about coming to this place. The place that was created for the sole purpose of enriching our family’s life and creating the most amazing memories a person could ever ask for. When away from this place for too long you ache to be back, and because of all of the memories you could be anywhere in the world and it wouldn’t compare to here.


The first thing you do when you get here is run to the water’s edge stick your feet in and breathe in the fresh air. You glance around and remember the endless hours spent digging holes to China or building sandcastles. You remember water wings and inflatable toys and not having a care in the world. The only thing that could slow you down was the ringing of the bell that my grandmother would ring to notify us it was time to eat. There were endless walks on the beach looking for water glass and sea shells and then eventually boys. Playing with beach toys became tanning and listening to music and playing in the big waves. With each passing year we would get braver swimming further and further into the lake to find the big rocks.

If it wasn’t a good beach day we would attempt to ride our grandparent’s bikes that were far too big for us down the back trails and would most definitely wipe out. We’d play Crokinole or Uno – which would eventually turn to Euchre or whatever gaming system we’d brought with us.

The sunsets are amazing. You plan your day around them. You stop, watch, relax, and enjoy. You pour yourself a large glass of wine, find yourself a chair, and listen to the waves.

A pipe band marches down the main street and back every Saturday night in the summer and the town stops. People line the sidewalks while others walk behind the band. I have done this every year since I was born – pipe music is in my bones. I was pushed in a stroller, rode on my dad’s shoulders playing the drums on his head, and now walk if here on a Saturday.

There are daddy-long legs spiders here – lots of them. Here is the only place I will put fear aside and tolerate them to an extent.

Campfires started with everyone around the campfire learning how to roast marsh mellows and feeding all the burnt ones to grandma. We would tell stories of our adventures from the day and talk of our big plans for the next. Gradually firecrackers, guitars, alcohol, and conversations that could not exist anywhere but here take place.

This is my favorite place. This is where I escape. When the world gets too big and too hard you know you are always welcome here. There are always freshly baked pastries, good conversation, and a peacefulness that you cannot find anywhere else. Even in the winter I will pack up the DVD player, a few movies, and some comfy clothes, and spend my days and nights here in front of the fire. There is something in the air here that allows the best naps and the best night’s sleep to take place.

For all of these reasons I got married here. I walked down the same path to the beach that I once ran down as a child. I stood where I once built sand castles. I got pictures taken where we play very competitive games of horseshoes. I brought everyone important to me to my favorite place. I made all those same people walk with me behind the pipe band after dinner as I don’t miss a parade – rain or shine, wedding or no wedding. As much as I usually don’t think I could handle having children – watching them play here on the beach makes me think I want my own.

I have just been put through the most exhausting two weeks and a very bad experience with wisdom teeth removal. Still on pain meds, getting a cold, and barely able to find the strength to exist, Sis suggested the two of us escape to the cottage. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but I knew being here would cure me.

We arrived to lasagna and garlic bread fresh out of the oven – but of course the feet had to go in the lake first. We changed into comfy clothes, poured ourselves wine, and headed for those beach chairs to watch the sunset – this has become my therapy. I absolutely believe that this is the one place I truly relax.

My grandparents have enjoyed this place as their home for as long as I have been around and I believe it has enriched their lives beyond anything I am capable of understanding. My only hope is that one day 50 or more years from now I can say that I also enjoyed my piece of paradise that I found to enrich the lives of my family and that they too can sit back and appreciate what life has offered them. My adopted ‘mother land’ is actually ‘grandmother land’ – no other place can compare.