 |
| Grampy's House |
We feed Jasper, our beloved miniature schnauzer, a special
frozen dog food which is available only in the States. Every six months or so, I
make a dog food run down to Buffalo. Lately, my best friend Bob picks it up in Buffalo and brings it across the border . This is very convenient for me because 1. I needn't drive across the often-congested Peace Bridge to pick it up, and deal with Canada Customs on the way back, and 2. I then have the opportunity to spend some quality time with my best friend and his wife at their beautiful old beach house on the Lake Erie shoreline.
I was planning to go down just before Shauna’s birthday in August, but she
ended up in the hospital for an extended stay, and I never made it down. This
weekend marked the end of Jasper’s food supply, and I could not postpone the trip any
longer. Although it was a whirlwind 24 hours visit, I had a lovely time. The trip
coincided with my birthday, and what a wonderful thing it was to spend some of it in what used to be my favorite place
to be on Earth. Up until Shauna and I married in ’94, I'd spent every summer of my life at
our beach house on Thunder Bay (Ft. Erie). Many of my happiest memories involved my residence at that beach house with my family. After forty years of family gatherings, boating, and celebrations, at a house which had been in our family since my grandfather bought it as a
young man, there are many friendly ghosts surrounding me there. Twice on
Saturday, Bob and I walked the length of Thunder Bay (3 bays east of Crystal
Beach) to the old Oppenheimer beach house, and those walks conjured up fond memories. I vaguely remember a picnic under a towering old willow tree with the kids who lived next door, I remember searching for crayfish under rocks on the point near our house, I remember the sound of cicadas in the night, the distinctive smell of our old house, and the giant rock on which my little nephews loved to perch when they were kids. These are familiar
surroundings, and no matter how much time passes, or what changes in my life, they always will be.
On Sunday morning, my birthday, I was greeted with French toast and coffee, and a familiar view of the wind-driven waters of Lake Erie. I was reminded of my charmed past. I am thankful to have had wonderful parents, I am thankful for my sister and her family, I am thankful to have (or in some cases to have had) Shauna’s wonderful family in my life, I am thankful to Shauna and her mom E.T. for all their love, I am thankful for all the good friends I have made so far. As I end this report, in the last few hours of the Canadian Thanksgiving, I am reminded how fortunate I have been to be living this charmed life. It is easy to become distracted by the omnipresence of all that is so glaringly wrong in this world. I am acutely aware of all those who have not had the benefits of my good fortune, but I also know a lot of people who are thankful, and who only have a small fraction of what I have. As well, I know a few people who will never be thankful no matter how much they have. I think I'd give up just about everything I have if I could bring that feeling of thankfulness to everyone else in the world. Regardless of our fate, we only have a short time on this earth, so let's do the best we can!
"....Summer days on Thunder Bay, cicadas in the night
Grampy's house through thunderstorms, safe and in the light
But in the ruin of this moonless night, wolves roam the dark blue sky
Forbidden, unformed, youthful dreams have turned this fool into a liar.
Haunted by my memories, the wind whispers the cost
No matter how things seem the same, time records the loss." - from Grampy's House c 2016
On Sunday morning, my birthday, I was greeted with French toast and coffee, and a familiar view of the wind-driven waters of Lake Erie. I was reminded of my charmed past. I am thankful to have had wonderful parents, I am thankful for my sister and her family, I am thankful to have (or in some cases to have had) Shauna’s wonderful family in my life, I am thankful to Shauna and her mom E.T. for all their love, I am thankful for all the good friends I have made so far. As I end this report, in the last few hours of the Canadian Thanksgiving, I am reminded how fortunate I have been to be living this charmed life. It is easy to become distracted by the omnipresence of all that is so glaringly wrong in this world. I am acutely aware of all those who have not had the benefits of my good fortune, but I also know a lot of people who are thankful, and who only have a small fraction of what I have. As well, I know a few people who will never be thankful no matter how much they have. I think I'd give up just about everything I have if I could bring that feeling of thankfulness to everyone else in the world. Regardless of our fate, we only have a short time on this earth, so let's do the best we can!
"....Summer days on Thunder Bay, cicadas in the night
Grampy's house through thunderstorms, safe and in the light
But in the ruin of this moonless night, wolves roam the dark blue sky
Forbidden, unformed, youthful dreams have turned this fool into a liar.
Haunted by my memories, the wind whispers the cost
No matter how things seem the same, time records the loss." - from Grampy's House c 2016
- Written by
Jamie Oppenheimer c 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No comments:
Post a Comment