Good Friday - Indeed!

On Good Friday it was cool but beautiful and sunny. With camera in hand I headed for one of my all time favorite spots - Rock Glenn. As I was driving away from Sarnia I realized this was the first time that I had ever ventured out into nature on my own. It seemed so strange but at the same time kind of exciting.

It was good to be on my own for awhile because early this morning as I laid awake I realized just how angered I still feel over the injustice of my father's funeral. That as a family we were not allowed to honour a man that meant the world to us. I am consumed by the fact that to date I still have not grieved his passing, and though he is never far from my mind I miss his presence; his calm.

But the moment I stepped out of my van and heard the roar of the falls I felt the company of happy moments shared with my dad by the water's edge. It's amazing that his passion for water, whether it be the river, beach or just a small stream imprinted so clearly on each one of his children, one of the few things that we all have in common.

As I climbed down the rock closer to the waters edge, I found myself chuckling quietly, not only because I am not as limber and graceful at climbing as I once had been, but more at the memory of the arrival of the Chi Chi Man ferry. It was 6:00 am and I had just dropped Mike at work, when the news came on announcing that the Chi Chi Man was at the mouth of the river heading southbound to the Government dock. I called my dad on the cell phone to let him know. Meet you there, was his only response. When I arrived at the dock I found his car, but he was nowhere insight. I frantically began running up and down the dock calling out to him, keeping in mind he had only been released from hospital 5 days prior. Thoughts began to run through my mind - the worst had happen - he fell in. But relief set in as I turned and seen him climbing up the rock from from where he had been snapping pictures from the edge of the river. We spent the better part of the next hour together marveling at such a fine ferry and its ability to do a 360 turn within the confines of the two parallel docks. As we bid our good-byes and I was climbing back into the van it was the first time I realized I was not even dressed, I simply had thrown on an old pair of pj's to drop Mike off to work. Welcome Chi Chi Man and its crew, not all Sarnian's appear as crazy as the women on the dock in some of her finest of wear.

I spent the next 3 hours enjoying the light cool breeze, warmth of the sun, sounds of the birds above and current of the water at my feet, and though I was alone this Good Friday, my memories kept me company.