Sunday Snippet: The Memorial Day Memories Edition

The older I get, the more I crave community—like-minded people who enjoy the same things I do, who believe in the same things I believe in, who want the same things I want. Not just in the social sense, but in all areas of my life. It’s why I joined the newest chapter of Romance Writers of America last year, and why I belong to the Editorial Freelancers Association, why I meet up with my Lovelies for lunch, why I go on retreats with Lizzie twice a year, and why I read the blogs I read and participate with comments. It’s why I stay on Facebook and Instagram and Bluesky, despite the trolls and nasty stuff I see posted in those venues.

It was this craving that brought me to our lake community 15 years ago. When we began our search, we had something definite in mind—a place to kick back and relax, where we could enjoy the water and boating, a small house that might one day become our retirement home because we truly believed that we’d be moving away from the big city once Husband retired. We’d set parameters and came armed with a list of what we wanted. We were looking for a cottage like the one he’d grown up in, like the ones we’d rented for vacations each summer when Son was a kid. At the top of the list was this, “NO MOBILE HOMES, NO MOBILE HOME PARKS.”

In the winter and Spring of 2011, Husband and I spent almost six months with our realtor, looking at lake cottage after lake cottage. We toured the insides of 35 places and drove past at least 50 or 60 before we found our perfect place. And where we ended up was so far from what we’d planned, I can’t even begin to describe it. I’ve heard, “Man plans, God laughs” so many times and in the case of our lake home adventure, nothing could be truer. We bought exactly what I told the realtor we did not want when we began our journey.

We were pretty down that first time we drove through the little mobile home community, thinking we were never going to find the perfect place. It was on a Memorial Day weekend, and I was impressed with how beautiful it was—big shady trees, lush grass around the homes, and a tidy dock area filled with colorful boats and other water craft. The lake sparkled in the May sunshine that day, and as it happened, it was a part of the lake that we’d visited many times in previous years of renting. We’d frequently taken our little runabout into that very wide expanse of water and dreamed about one day buying a home there on that clear quiet bay.

But what sold me wasn’t the pretty little homes or the lovely location or even being on a bay we knew and already loved. As we drove around the horseshoe road that is the park’s only street, we passed a charming home with a covered front porch. The porch was filled with folks enjoying the holiday weekend together and their chatter and laughter drifted into our open car windows. When they saw us drive slowly by, they all smiled and waved and shouted, “Hi” and How are you?”

We waved back and in that moment, it hit me. I realized what I’d been looking for the past six months. It wasn’t a getaway, it wasn’t a retirement home on a lake, it wasn’t even a weekend vacation spot—it was a community. I was as drawn to those folks on that pretty veranda as I’d ever been to anything anywhere…ever. I turned to Husband and said, “There! That’s what I want. Right there. I want to be on that porch with those people, drinking wine and laughing and sharing each other’s lives. We should be here.”

Two weeks later, we were moving into our mobile and those folks on the porch were appearing in our driveway on their golf welcoming us. They all became good friends. Now over 15 years later, I can’t imagine lake life any other way. It is peaceful and lovely and our little home is snug and comfortable. Our boat is fun and we love having friends and family come visit us—we are in the perfect place for a weekend getaway. But the best part of life on the lake has nothing to do with our beautiful bay or boating on the big lake. It is the feeling of community.

Now the community has changed drastically over the years, people have died, moved away, aged, and new people have come into our little lake community, including Son, DIL, and Grandboy, who bought a place only steps away from ours when they moved back home. But even as changes have happened, the warm sense of community still envelopes me. When I sit on our deck now, sipping wine and laughing and sharing stories and news with whomever happens to be there, I know how very blessed I am to be surrounded with good friends and family in a place that I love.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend. No matter what your plans are, I hope you are enjoying this weekend and honoring the memories of those who fought and died for our freedom and to protect the Constitution of the United States. We all must continue to fight for our democracy.

Gratitude for this Week: Got words written; a quick drop-by from sister PJ–so good to see her! The new deck on the cottage is almost done; Lunch with my Lovelies; and I think I might be close to being ready for RAGT26–a book event that is happening in just a week!

Stay well, keep speaking out, always choose kindness, and most of all, mes amis, stay grateful!