A Respite at the Lake

This weekend Keith, Joe and I did one of my absolute favorite things in the world - we went to the lake. Our original plan was to dash up there and do a "mow and go" since we just had to get home and get things done. You know the drill - life now is just a constant go, go, go for everybody. But God had other plans for us.

Before anything else we checked on some of our favorite spots. The picture of Keith and Joe shows The Point and while it doesn't show much in the picture we were astonished to see how much less there was of it after the flood. The waters have receded quite a bit, though still a ways to go, and the erosion definitely left its mark on the land.

When we got back to the cabin and saw the grass in the backyard we were a little disheartened to see it so high. We haven't been up there since before Brooklyn was born, so really it had gotten a little out of control. Keith grabbed the weedeater and I grabbed the mower and off we went. It took hours. Honestly though it was so satisfying to do the physical labor side by side with my beloved. We worked, we sweated (a lot!) and we took several water breaks.

After we took showers we decided to run to town and get something to eat. On the way we saw this sight in the lawn of a medical clinic! I really think it was the hot pink that made me notice it in the first place. :) As soon as we noticed it Keith turned to me with a sigh and said "Let me guess - you want to go over there a take a picture." Yup, sure do dear. He's pretty understanding about this sort of thing. And this pink toilet and flamingo is just one reason I love the small towns by the lake. :)

After dinner we stopped by a few more of our favorite spots to check and see how they fared after the flood. This picture shows that the lake is still quite high - that's a handicap parking sign on the pole...in the water. There's also a new walkway built with sandbags and plywood just to get to the original walkway to the docks. Lots of cleanup and repairs to be done.

At this point it was getting late in the evening and we were both so tired from all the yardwork, so we finally admitted that we didn't need to be driving home and would stay the night. What a relaxing time we had! Headed back out to the point and took some pictures of Joe. I never think of him as an old dog until I see his little white face in pictures. He was a little miffed at us for not letting him go swimming, but he does like the hiking.

It really turned out to be such a relaxing afternoon/night. We slept in a bit the next day before heading home to all of our obligations. This brief respite that the Lord granted us was so rejuvenating and how blessed we are that He watches out for us this way. When we slow down and listen to our souls and hear what the Lord says to us we can learn so much.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11