Thoughts of an east coast autumn vacation filled my mind this year but it was not to be.
Closer to home ~ closer to home, I told myself. Â The beauty of the midwest in autumn is spectacular so I was not overly disappointed. Rest and relaxation were the goals again this year.
A friend of my husband’s recommended a place called Bay Lake in Deerwood, MN as a great getaway.
The reservationist at Bay Lake was accommodating in everything I requested ~ a quiet room away from everyone, an outdoor space. Â And when we arrived our room was exactly what I wanted ~ on a second floor corner with a screened in porch and a large tree outside.
Crisp autumn days lent themselves to a state of pensiveness.
Walking around the lodge, summer appeared to still be in bloom. The coleus, standing tall, was enjoying the dappled sun that shone on it.
Strolling around the lodge grounds, beautiful views were at every turn.
And then the beauty of the lake called. Canoe or kayak? Â That was the question.
Just then an old memory surfaced of the first time I had ever canoed. Â We had taken a trip to northern Canada and rented a rustic cabin ~ we even had to pump and heat our own water.
My husband and I and our oldest boy, who was approximately 6 years old at the time, went out on a canoe on an absolutely gorgeous lake. On TV, I had seen people paddle their canoes with ease and thought to myself “How hard can this be?”
Reaching the middle of the lake, my husband said “Norma, stop paddling.”  And so I did. I must’ve been the weakest canoe-er on earth as the canoe went the same speed with  me paddling as when I stopped.
With this memory in mind, we chose the canoe. I laughed inside and wondered if my now tendinitis inflicted arms would do any better than the first time they tried to paddle.
The canoe seemed to teeter as my husband re-adjusted himself several times. Paddling as hard as I could, I felt relief that I wasn’t “too old” to paddle ~ my arms were holding out just fine.
Back on land, we again walked around and breathed in the crisp autumn air that was causing the beautiful changing-of-colors in the leaves.
Deciding to take a drive along Lake Mille Lacs, I felt melancholy. Autumn and its accompanying shadows tend to bring a sadness to my heart. I’ve never understood it just simply accepted that this time of year my heart would sway between melancholy and exuberance.
Drinking deeply of the changing colors of the leaves, I realize that with this change death will occur. Â Beauty will bring death. Â Pondering this I recall the beauty in the older people I know ~ their wisdom, smiles, encouragements, all signs of long lived beautiful lives. Yet like the leaves, death waits on their doorstep.
Suddenly I’m taken from a state of depression to a state of hope. Â (There’s the change from melancholy to exuberance!) Â I smile recalling the hope of a resurrection. “Oh death where is thy sting?” the old Scripture says.
With the sun shining on my face, I breathe in deeply. How can such beauty bring a sense of somberness ~ even if only for a few moments?
The sea gulls line up near the water with seemingly no worries ~ what are they thinking?Another Scripture comes to mind “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
I smile. Yes, I am more valuable than birds.
Back in the car we head to the Kathio Trail Park which is all paved. Â The best enjoyment for me in hiking is when the paths are paved. No loose gravel. Â No hidden animal, uh, deposits. No thorny bushes scraping against my legs and arms.
We come across a Sumac plant ~ how beautiful it looks in autumn.
Minnesota, land of 10,000+ lakes … Water everywhere. Â I can’t help but think how the Spirit of God is everywhere.
Arriving back at the lodge, I look up at the blue sky and fill my lungs with what must be the cleanest air on earth.
Yes, the changing of the seasons certainly has its beauty.
But I would rather be human ~ even with its own mountains and valleys.
