Clear Lake

(Written July 30, 2009)



Today I went back to Clear Lake. It has been over twenty years since I have been to this place that I hold so dear to my heart. My grandparents bought this little cabin (a chicken shack back then) in 1947 when my mother was about 2 years old. She and her siblings grew up going there in the summers, and as a child she brought our family there too.

There are so many things that I learned from those visits to the lake. I remember a house full of cousins, aunts and uncles, puppies newly born, tractor rides, waterskiing, neighbor boys, boat rides, fishing, swimming, camp fires and so much more. Although I didn’t know it at the time, now I know that it was a place where I learned so many life lessons.


It is here that I first learned to fly a kite in the farm field across the dirt road.

It is where I learned how to bait a hook and take a squirmy sunfish off the line.

It is where I first learned how to drive a car down a dusty dirt road.

It is where I learned that I could swim out to a raft and spend hours jumping off into the cold, clear water.

It is where I learned to build a fire and pitch a tent.

It is where I discovered that I could ride a mile down a bumpy road on the handlebars of a bicycle as my big sister pedaled carefully.

It is where I learned how to mend a broken heart after a break-up with my first real boyfriend.

It is where I learned to water ski as my mom patiently helped me in the water encouraging me each time I fell.

It is where I learned to wash and dry dishes working as a team with a cousin.

It is where I learned to catch minnows and frogs.

It is where I had my first sip of grape soda.

It is where I caught a glimpse of my parents in their twenties as I watched old family movies in a garage theater.

It is where I experienced my first canoe race at the Clear Lake Olympics.

It is where I discovered that it was more fun to eat powdered hot chocolate in the Scamp with my cousin instead of taking a nap.

It is where I had my first dramatic roll in a skit performed by a crackling fire.

It is where I learned to play the ukulele in a makeshift band.

It is where I learned PIT.

It is where I learned that worship doesn’t have to take place in a church, but can happen on an island in the middle of a lake.

It is where I learned how to roast a marshmallow.

It is where I learned to swing in a hammock.

It is where I learned how to be a family.


I am so glad that I was able to go back to this incredible place today, but mostly I am glad for the impact it has had on my life even when I didn’t know it. I will cherish the memories made here and look forward to making new ones with my own family…I only hope they will be as special.

(Check out the Shutterfly link for more pics of the cabin)