Whitefish Chain

I was at my parents place in Cross lake, MN this weekend. The above is a picture of what the "Minnetonka of the North" looked like this Fourth of July. (Denny Hecker is trying to sell his place on the lake if you are interested.)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...... I could get very philosophical about this. But to spare you, I won't.

The bottom line: those people were having a lot of fun.

As I age, like fine wine I hope (ha ha) , I have come to realize so much in life is about how you look at it.

I could have chosen to see just a bunch of drunks denying the quiet and beauty of nature. I could of chosen to see a bunch of rich spoiled brats just wasting time. But you know what I saw?

I saw a bunch of people having fun. I saw a country so wealthy that even in the middle of "The Great Recession" there are people of leisure. This country is so amazing. This country is so wonderful, abundant, and free.

How lucky I am to live the life I have. How absolutely gifted I am to have time to swim for no reason in a beautiful glacial lake created tens of thousands of years ago with the people I love.

How lucky am I to see rock bass, watch my son catch frogs, hear my husband say, "I love you", and play two rounds of leisurely mini-golf with my fabulous daughter.

My parents give without regard for scarcity. They embrace me and my family unconditionally and open their home without strings attached. Thank you, Mom & Dad.

Am I blind to the negatives? No. But I choose to direct my focus elsewhere.

Wow. Abundance is a powerful thing. I accept it. I embrace it. I love it.

I am not sure why, but I am thinking of this now:

As one of the great masters put it:

"Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

(John 12:24-25)