Loss and The Lake
When I go home to Conneaut, I find myself in the same ritual. I visit St. Joe’s and Glenwood Cemeteries to thank my parents and honor my grandmother, aunt and uncle for all that they did, for all that they were.
I know now.
I know that growing in a family of good people in a town filled with good people is an enviable advantage in life. We learned how to be in the world–responsible, honest and fair. Trying to be anything less than that is very uncomfortable. Trust me, I know.
After the cemeteries, I usually drive my gratitude and sadness to the bluff at Township Park. As I put my car in park, I smile at the universal fact of life in our town–nearly every teenager learns something of love and angst in a car parked at this very spot!
The vast expanse of blue green water and sand is a comfort. Despite all that I have lost, this town and this lake remain the same. The eighty-year-old swings below are a tribute to all the mothers and fathers who, like mine, did their best to raise good human beings for our world.
Standing on the bluff I know that I have a “leg up” in life because of this place and its people.
It was almost forty years ago when I moved away from the lake for the first time in my life. I had a new job just fifty miles inland, but it might just as well have been in the middle of a desert. Surrounded by land, I could not get my geographical bearings. Which way was north? It took many months before I could feel Lake Erie again, to know for sure which way was north.
True North.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
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3 Comments
My mothers cremains have been a part of our lake for many years. We all felt so blessed to have a white swan fly over our heads and go out of sight after her ashes were released. Every time I visit our lake that is the first place I go.
My first ritual visits, when I arrive in Conneaut, are much the same. Glenwood cemetery, Township Park and the pubic dock, then a trip down Marshall St., my old “hood”. Then, depending on the season, the DQ, or the White Turkey Drive-In, where I ALWAYS play “Crazy” by Patsy Cline on the Juke Box. Next up is visiting my friends and family and then taking walks on all the nature trails. During each visit, we use our membership to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, catch a play/concert in Cleveland, cruise around Presque Isle State Park, shop at Amish Country Stores, and if time permits visit Toronto and Niagara-On-The-Lake. This year we will visit friends and family in Columbus and make a trip to Cincinnati. I love going “home”.
Last week I had the honor of taking two of our grandchildren from Texas to Conneaut’s lake shore. As their “Bonus Grandma” (their mom is my step-daughter) it was my first chance to take them there. We spent a fun-filled day at the beach, collecting shells and beach glass, having a picnic lunch at the pavilion, rolling down the hills at the bluff (them, not me!), time on the playground (they were shocked when I said it was the same swings, slide, etc., that I played on as a kid.) When it started to rain, we did a driving tour of Conneaut, where I showed them the houses I lived in, where I went to school and the places we hung out – public dock, Dairy Queen, Lakeview Park (PV and skating rink). So many memories of growing up on the Lake Erie Shore. And this week my daughter’ 4 year old twins will be coming from Olmsted Falls and joining us for a beach day & picnic. They really love it. Another generation of Lake Erie kids!! As my daughter says, it will always be “Home.”