sky, earth, water becomes sky, lake, earth

As a twist on the Celtic triplicates of sky, earth and water, I renamed the water realm and began to call it lake, thus ending up with sky, lake and earth in order to better fit with the connections I find in the natural world around me here in Michigan. Living as I do next to Lake Michigan and having grown up with the waves and sand of this lake speaking to me, I have heard its call even when I have been away. While I look to the sky to seek answers regarding my goals and aspirations and sit upon the earth in an attempt to ground myself, it is the water, the lake that connects those two realms, bringing me deeper insights and wisdoms. By changing one of the Celtic triplicates from the term water to lake, I make it more personal to me, and to Michigan as well given that Michigan has more inland lakes than just about any other state in the country.

Have you ever heard the silent echo found lakeside in the early morning when the water is dead calm? Usually it comes from across the lake, a single animal or human voice. Or it may come in the form of an oar hitting the side of a rowboat. These sounds form the echo, yet because all else is absolutely quiet, they are surrounded by silence. The sound of this silent echo, once heard, never leaves you and is something you always hope to return to, as it is so captivating in our noise filled world. Or how about the feel of the wind coming off the water as the waves are pushed into white caps and the sand whipped up pelts at your feet as you walk along? Maybe it is the smell of the water, an earthy wet kind of smell, or knowing, just knowing a view of a lake is over the next hill or around the next bend because of the way the landscape begins to open up, bringing you closer. 

All of these thoughts and feelings are felt as one lives amongst the lakes in my state, imprinting on your soul the call of the lake. I have lived in the mountains of Colorado with its water filled reservoirs, near beautiful rivers outside Atlanta and Washington DC., within an hour of the ocean in Philadelphia and outside New York City, but given all these waterway experiences, have been unable to recapture the feeling I get when I am standing beside a lake in Michigan. The sights, sounds and smells wrap you up and refuse to release you, causing a longing that never goes away. I grew up and lived in Michigan for my first 21 years and feel it was Lake Michigan that called me back home into its beauty just last year.