As a child, every time I would visit my beloved grandmother in the small town of Empire, Michigan, she would take me to Lake Michigan to watch the sunset. The beach that we would visit was affectionately called “Grandma’s Beach”, and it was always my favorite part of the trip. She would sit on the beach with the adults as the grandchildren splashed and played in the big waves, living out the childhood dream of being free and having fun.
She would tell me the tales of the sleeping bear dunes, and even if I had them memorized, the way she told the stories would have me mesmerized. I loved nothing more than to dig my toes in the sand as her soft voice told the stories of the mother and baby bears. When the sun would start to set, we would dry off and bundle up in sweatpants and big blankets. She would talk about the wonders of the universe, and the beauty of the colorful sunsets was a perfect backdrop for her words of wisdom.
I fell head over heels in love with the gorgeous power of Lake Michigan. I associated lakes and water with wonderful things, mainly my grandma. I learned to be still in nature and just take in the power of all of the things that exist in the natural world. It is oddly comforting to be surrounded by things that exist whether you are there or not.
Even after my grandma passed away six years ago, I visit that beach every time I am in the area. The moment I step on that shoreline memories come flooding back, just like the waves that flow towards the beach. Lake Michigan is not only a beautiful place to visit for me, it is where I learned a lot about appreciating the beauty in life and nature. My relationship with Lake Michigan is also a symbol of love and family, and I sometimes wonder if my wise grandmother knew just how important those beach trips would become to me. Something inside me says she most definitely did.
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