Reflections From the North

2009-10-18T18:31:00.000-06:00

It is a family tradition of ours to visit the fall colors of Door County every year. Some years we catch the trees at peak and other years we miss it by a few shades in one direction or another. This year we caught it spot on! The trees seemed as though they were on fire with crimson reds, amber yellows, and deep violets that made your eyes brighten when the sun lit them with its forceful rays. There is something about those Door County woods that makes me drift off into a reflective delight. I am gently brought to an inner place of peace and am allowed by some outside force to loosen my grip for a while and marvel at the intricacies of life.
Something interesting was going on during this particular trip that made me so thankful. It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of baseball games, proposal deadlines, breakfast meetings and yard work. Sometimes I am so busy with my day to day affairs that I wonder if it is even possible to make a difference in the world. There is simply too much to be done to run my life and help run the lives of my kids that I can't possibly make a difference! That is where my Door County trip opened my eyes. While these pressures are very real and need to be confronted on a daily basis, I was reminded that my greatest impact on the world was through my own children. The legacy I would leave them would be my masterpiece. Everything else I do will pale in comparison.

Two things made me realize this. First, I finished a book called "Crazy for the Storm" that was a memoir of a boy who was in a plane crash with his dad and 2 other companions. The boy was the only one to survive. He shares the story of the legacy that his dad left for him and how much pride he has in his father. He mentioned countless lessons that he learned from his dad that helped him with real life issues. When I read this book it brought me to tears each time I flipped through the pages. I was reminded of the poor legacy that was left for me and how I am left with no father to turn to for any of life's lessons. I was also reminded of how a father can pave the way for a child to make a difference in the world for good or for naught.

Second, I had so much fun with my own kids this past week! There is not much to do in Door County in the fall time except play outside, swim in the indoor pool, and eat 3 big meals together. We did all of it. I spent hours skipping stones with my boys and wowing them by beating the record of skips each time. We hurled larger rocks into the lake to see how big of a splash it would make. At one point we saw a female mallard swimming along and we quietly sat on the smooth stones to watch it. We enticed it with little pebbles, making tiny splashes in front of us so it would think we were dropping morsels of bread for it to come and partake in. The duck was so close we could almost touch it. I saw my boys so intensely watching that duck, amazed by its beauty. We played in the pool and I pretended to be the scary shark, chasing the kids to the edges of the water. We dove for our room keys, timing ourselves to see how fast we could retrieve them. I was marveled by my oldest son Cameron's appetite and wondered if we would go broke by the time he turned 18. We snuggled together each morning rolling out of bed around 8:00 and watched the sun filter through the blinds. They are wonderful boys. I found myself pondering the legacy I was leaving for them. I hope I can teach them first and foremost, that I love them. I also hope that through that love, they should love the world and bring peace to a hurting and pain filled place.

My Door County trip is over now. Tomorrow it is back to work and back to the grind. I am carrying with me though the hope that I am making a difference in the world. They may seem like two small children who are insignificant in the big scheme of things. They are however two more lives that will shape this globe in some fashion or another. Hopefully they will continue to leave a legacy of love.

Frodosfeet

Reflections From the North