| Evening walks with Bay |
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I love living in southern Maryland. I suppose that is a good thing. Would be bad to not like where you live. Looking back I always liked where I lived except where I grew up..in Northern Illinois. I remember those times as either blistering hot or dreadfully cold and not much in the middle. When I moved to California as a young adult, I was sure I was as close to heaven on earth as it  could be. I loved California. Not just southern California, where I lived. No, the whole state. Let's face it, California has one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. I lived in California a little over 10 years. Lots of good things happened to me there. My oldest son was born. I met one of my lifelong frineds, Per, who helped me learn about God. I met my bride and was married in a vineyard. Some of my friends that left California used the excuse they wanted to live in a place that had four seasons. I didn't understand that. California had two seasons - rainy season and fire season.
One day, Uncle Sam decided it was time to move us back to the east coast. My wife was born and raised in Maryland, so she was excited to be coming back. I had no clue what I was getting into. Through a lot of prayer and searching, we landed in a town half way between Washington DC and Annapolis. Nice place. Bedroom community. It split the commute for us - my wife into Washington DC and me to Ft Meade. Over a long series of events, life changes happened and we ended up moving to southern Maryland. When we moved here, there were few others here.
 We have watched it grow over the years. Sometimes with joy. Sometimes with sadness. I do think that there is enough protected land here, as long as the laws don't change, that we will always be in the woods by a creek near the Chesapeake Bay.
I wasn't sure I would really like the four seasons. To be honest, it has taken me a while to adjust to it. One thing I learned is just because it is raining doesn't mean you stay indoors. Sure, you get wet. So? You can dry yourself off just like you do after your shower. By the way, my kids love my thought process here.
The other evening was a perfect case in point. It was raining outside. I had been stuck in my office all day. I needed to get out. I didn't care where "out" was. It just wasn't inside. After eating supper, I grabbed the leash and Bay was immediately at my feet. I called out, "Anybody want to go with me?" and my daughter Kelly volunteered.
I have found that these evening walks are great opportunities to talk with my kids. Each is different, though. My teenage son will maybe say one or two things during an hour walk. They will be very important things to him and we will discuss them. There are many gaps in the discussion where we both soak in the evening sights and sounds. Not so with Kelly. From the time our feet hit the dirt road until we are back in the yard, she is discussing everything from friends to church to world hunger to global warming to will she someday have kids to take walks with to school to her dreams to be a missionary and back to friends.
This particular evening it was raining. The dirt roads were muddy. No wind, so the trees were  dripping. Some birds were singing, but most were quiet. There is a quietness that happens during a rain that is peaceful. We disturbed that quietness as we walked and talked. I could tell that friendship was the thing that was on my daughter's heart. We kept coming back to it. She is one of the most outgoing people I have ever met - unlike me and my total introvert ways. She meets people and can decide within a few minutes if they are her "friends" or not. Sometimes it takes me years. I am not sure which is better. After only being on this planet for 12 years, she has seen that some "friends" use you until they don't need you any more. As I listen, she doesn't want me to solve her problems. She is only looking for me to confirm that everything she is experiencing is "normal". It is, sadly, in some cases, normal. She does have some good insights into human behavior that I didn't have until my 30s. She can tell me who, in her life, are more than surface friends and she can explain why.
I turn left where we would normally turn right in our walk. This is the longer way. She doesn't notice or if she does, she doesn't say anything. I do it on purpose knowing that this kind of dialog between a father and daughter may not always happen in the years to come. It is healthy as I try to raise a child in the way she should go resting on the peace that when she is older she will not depart from it.
22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.
By the time we get back home, it has been over an hour. All three of us are soaked and muddy. I get Bay in the tub, Kelly takes a shower, followed by me. A few minutes later, we are all clean and we sit at the table to sip some hot tea. Except Bay. He has settled down with a bone to chew. The day in the office seems far behind me now.
I love living in southern Maryland. I love the evenings at the end of summer when the temperature is cool and walks are times of enjoying the works of our Creator. This year, with Bay, it has also been a time for a father to grow closer to his children.
Just another day - a man, a dog, and his God. |
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