God is here

Floating on the peaceful lake by my house

The water is like dark glass. The sun casts a wide shadow of conifers across the dark water. It is quiet, except for the sound of song birds, a flock of Canada geese flying overhead and the sound of the paddles moving water. They cut clean. My skin glows brown under the pink evening sun and a small yellow dragon fly lands on my knee; I don't mind the bugs. Because here is my "church," floating around silently on the smooth water. I come here to connect.

So many smells waft through the air: spicy spruce, fragrant lilac, the smell of the water, the smell of a campfire burning in the distance somewhere. Fish randomly jump, sending small ripples across the water. The breeze moves my hair as I cut through the water and I take in the scents.

Even though I don't catch even one fish, I am more content here than just about any place on earth. This is the most peaceful place for me; it always has been since I was a girl. The place where my heart and mind come to rest has always been on the wooded lakes of the midwest.

Here, on the water, the mind settles, just like the water.