Water brings a sense of tranquility and power.  I enjoy seeing water flow gracefully whether it be down a river, at a lake, in our creek or when the rain falls.  At other times, seeing the force of water when it splashes, shows the power of water.  In life, we have those times of calm and times of being unsettled.    Being around water has always brought calmness and peace to me.

The earliest memory I have around water, was when I was in pre-school.  In the summer, my mom would drop me off and one of the summer activities was playing in the wading pools.  As a small child, I thought those pools were big in size.  The pools were the small, plastic, circular kind with simple designs.  I recall being excited to splash and play with my friends.  It was a bit of a disappointment when the seasons changed and swimming time had to wait until the next year.  As I grew older, those small pools seemed no longer big.  The next step in pools was the tin pool.  I thought I had the best pool when we bought a tin pool.   Having a bigger pool meant the water was deeper.  Growing up meant still enjoying the splashing of water, while also starting to wade thru deeper waters.

I enjoyed being close to the Mississippi River as a child.  It seemed like rivers and water were part of my journey.  There is a park called Bellerive in St. Louis, which overlooks the Mississippi River.  When I would climb onto the silver metal jungle gym, I could see the river.  It always put into perspective how big the river was and how small I was.

When I first started teaching, I lived about twenty minutes from my school.  On the way home, when I would decided to go grocery shopping, I would almost always choose a grocery store that overlooked a lake.  After working a, I prioritized a sense of calm.  Shopping while viewing the lake, brought peace while shopping for my usually items of frozen pizza and ready to cook meals.

Living here in Washington, has brought me back to the source of water.  At least one time a week, I sit by the river or at a lake at the park.  I tune out the demands of life and appreciate the peace.  Sometimes on the river, the boats are going fast and at other times they are more leisurely.  While sitting on the bench, the church bells ring at the hour and half hour.  The tradition of church bells is another calming sound that brings peace.   As a child, sometimes my friends and I were allowed to go ring the church bell periodically.  We would climb up steps in the bell tower and see the big brown rope.  It took some strength to pull the rope and we had to pull together.  We would cover our ears as the sound of the bell was loud.  Sitting along the river and hearing the bells from the church down the street also brings calm and reminiscing.

In life we have periods of calm and rough waters.  Seeking things that bring us peace is important.  It is important to pull together, just like needing the strength to pull the church bells.  We may still cover our ears as the sounds of life can be loud.  The waters always recede.