God's Ice

Sunday, January 4, 2009

God's Ice
We just returned from a trip up north to visit our dear friends who moved away a few years ago. It was a wonderful time for all of us. We got to meet the new baby (Belle was heart broken to leave him), and we got to spend New Year's Eve with cherished friends.

There is something different about the weather "up north". First, it's obviously colder. It's also colder for a longer period of time. Long periods of intense cold means one thing....frozen lakes.
Now, don't get me wrong. We are a well adjusted suburban family and we have gone ice skating many times. But never, EVER on God's Ice. Our times spent skating together were at one or the other ice skadiums here in town. And it was fun, no doubt. But to see your children run and slide on 8 inches of REAL ice in a natural lake was exhilerating!

We made the short trek from their home to the channel on which they live and wondered whether or not the ice was frozen. From there it went to tossing a huge rock out in the middle to see if it broke through. Then Uncle Jeff ventured out a bit. Then he went up to the house and retrieved his auger to cut a hole in the ice to see how thick it was. (We are careful if nothing else). Once we were satisfied the ice was thick enough to support a small army we let the children play. We shoveled off an area that nearly crossed the channel and spread about 30 feet across. The kids had a ball.

I am certain our time spent on God's Ice was the highlight of their winter break. I skated on our own creek when I was a kid and so it seemed completely natural to me to be there. But now, everyone has to be so careful with all of the terrible tragedies that we hear about, and I would never have let my children venture out on the ice here at home, where temperatures are always unpredictable. This was unforgettable for them.

The "icing" on the cake, as it were, was the last day when we were hiking to the lake. It was blustery and cold like it can only be in the north. Baby C looked up at me from under her Dora The Explorer hat and said, "Mommy, do you think we'll see any polar bears today?"
Thank you, J and G. We miss you already and will cherish the memories you made possible for our family.

Happy New Year!!

Posted by KC at 10:28 PM