Trares
Earlier this spring, my wife took a photograph that still sticks with me.
She and Anthony had decided to go out back to sit on the slope by the pond behind our house on a pleasant evening. Sometime during their bonding, she took the photo. In it, Anthony is staring out contently at the water — quiet, calm, taking it all in.
The picture reminds me of the power that even a tiny little pond can have.
Even as a child, I’ve always been fascinated by any kind of body of water. I would spend hours splashing around in the creek that went behind our house. At the local park, I’d find the little streams, searching for crayfish, minnows and other splashing aquatic life.
The first time I went to the beach (that I remember; I’m not counting my journey to Clearwater Beach when I was barely old enough to walk), I didn’t even want to wait to unpack before rushing into the ocean waves.
Our family had a lake house in northern Indiana when I was growing up, and some of my favorite memories were coming outside early in the morning to see the sunrise cut through the mist.
Lakes, rivers, oceans — it didn’t matter, I wanted to be near them. Often, I would sit in serenity, watching and listening to the waves, the passing boats, the birds circling. It put me at ease.
I see that same appreciation in Anthony.
Before he was born, when my wife and I were searching for our first home, I didn’t have too many criteria. Location of course was important, and a good school system would be a must. But when I learned that we could build on a lot abutting a pond, I wanted to prioritize that.
The choice was a good one. From our backyard, we can watch herons as they stalk the shallows in search of fish. Newly hatched ducklings follow their mothers in a line, swimming with determination through the water. On occasion, a bass will splash across the surface, disturbing the glassy water.
A muskrat has made its home underneath the bank closest to our yard. Bullfrogs often croak throughout the night.
All of these things we’ve been able to enjoy as a family, with Anthony in particular taking interest in our backyard ecosystem. We search out new birds to identify, keep an eye out for turtles and watch the waves as a storm rolls in.
This small body of water may not be much compared to some of the majestic places we’ve seen, from Lake Michigan to the Atlantic Ocean.
But for our family, it’s carved a special place in our lives.
