This moment was not fleeting, it lasted a whole evening. It's one that stands out so clearly in my mind that even though it didn't happen today I want to record it.
A few years ago I was living further north and had a great friend with whom I worked. It was this time of year, hence why I've been thinking about it lately. One afternoon I got a phone call from her inviting me to go home with her after work. We drove north to the small town where she lives on Georgian Bay. When we got there her husband was waiting with the car packed and ready to go. We piled in and went down to the dock where they had a small boat.
In the warm late-summer evening we headed out on the water to Beausoleil island. Her sons were 7 and 9 at the time, a marvellous age when they're brimming with curiosity and energy. On the island we had a picnic, found small frogs, the boys played in the mud and splashed in the water. On the way back home we watched the sun set over the water as the boys slept in the back of the boat. It was one of those evenings that was so perfect I sat looking out over the water enveloped in a feeling of joy at life and surrounded by people I loved.
