a walk in the park

it's no secret that bo and i both have had a hard time settling in here in grand rapids. sometimes i find myself wondering why we're here exactly and other times it's perfectly clear... life has a strange way of making sense in the midst of things that seem not to.

anyway, one of the things that makes sense in grand rapids is walking along the river. we both live not too far from a bridge that takes us over the grand river and to a park that wends its way along the river from the bridge all the way through downtown.

bo walks with josie on this route every day - without fail. i often accompany them and i must say that i always enjoy it. the breeze off of the water can make a hot day bearable and the serenity of the sounds can bring peace to a day that has been filled with nothing but chaos. josie loves to try to find squirrels, bunnies, and ducks (who she loves to chase into the water - that's where they belong, not on the grass with her!) and bo and i often pass the time talking about our plans for the day and our dreams for the future. it's hard not to enjoy.

one of the most intriguing things to me is the water that comes over what the locals refer to as "the fish ladder." just before it comes over the edge, it is so flat it looks like a mirror. underneath the rush, there are things that are growing and in the midst of it all there are large tree trunks that have somehow made their way down the river and are now stuck in the waterfall.

it seems like there's some mystical analogy happening there... right before a big change you should take a moment to reflect, and during the shift recognize your growth, and sometimes realize that in the midst of the stream of life, there's times when you're moving along just fine and other times when you're stuck... i think that sort of helps me understand a bit more about being here. does it help make sense of anything for you?