In the woods next to our childhood home, there is a creek bed. It’s dry during the summer as there is little rainfall, but it flows wide open during the fall and winter months because of more rain and the occasional snow.
As mentioned in my previous post, I rescinded my membership in the “playing in the woods during the summertime” club. At eight years old, I was no longer a member. I banned myself for life.
But during the late fall and winter months, it was game on. The woods were a no-holds-barred playground for that little boy. And play I did in our exclusive little creek. I couldn’t believe our luck in having our own private miniature river.
We’d pan for gold, wash our hands, let our horses get a drink, and we would even take a sip ourselves after a long day’s work.
Then one day, we got a hankering to search for the source. We wanted to find the spring from which this sacred blessedness flowed. You have to be careful about “hankerings.” Sometimes the ignorant are better off staying ignorant.
We followed this creek through the woods to the magical, unseen source. After several days of traveling (not really), we happened upon the primary source of the mysterious creek.
We thought this creek was provided by Him from Whom all blessings flow. We believed with all our little hearts that God had put this here just for us. He had smiled upon us.
As it turns out, this was not so. Not even close. Boy, were we shocked to our core.
Its headwaters was the lagoon. This is not a sand-lined Caribbean spa and resort premier vacation destination of which I speak. If you search lagoon on Google, you will find spectacular views and steep hotel prices.
The lagoon is what we called the little pond to which all the pipes from our house flowed. Yes, even the toilets. Some might call it the sewer.
Now we knew why this creek had more water in the fall and winter — the rainfall would fill the lagoon. And when the lagoon was overflowing, it poured over the retaining wall into the woods, which over time had formed a perfect creek bed, where the water flowed at a pretty good pace.
You see, when lagoons overflow, the water that is at the top of it is what exits its borders. Everything else has sunk to the…bottom.
The top water mixed with fresh rainwater or snow is crystal clear. Hence our confusion as to how clean and pristine this water was.
That day was the day we decided to rescind our membership in the “play in the creek” club. Summer and winter.
to the blissfully ignorant,
– Caleb
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