Fourth
of July weekend, my wife and I were surrounded by family and friends in a
beautiful modern-day cabin with a sixty-foot lakeside view of Lake Chautauqua.
Located on the Southwest corner of the state of New York, the lake is
surrounded by rolling hills covered with green trees. Three miles across and
seven miles wide, I knew this magnificent display of creation could not only be
marveled upon, but also revered.
There
had been some talk earlier that morning about going out tubing on the lake if
the weather was clear. Clear the weather was indeed, not a cloud in the sky
with the temperature around eighty-five degrees, a perfect day to enjoy the
lake. This was the first time for me to be on such a vast expanse of water.
With a little timidity, I joined the others: Tim, my father-in-law; Racheal and
Honey, my two sister-in-laws; Jake; a brother-in-law; Tina, a cousin in the
family; and my wife, Kassandra.
In
a sixteen-foot ski boat, we skipped across the lake like a stone a giant had
thrown across the surface of the water. Once we arrived to somewhere in the
middle, where the shore had lost its individual characteristics and now could
only be identified by the peaks and valleys of the surrounding hills, we
stopped to lower the tube into the water and chose the first daredevil of the
day. Racheal, a six-foot brunette, who is maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet
quickly volunteered. The tube bounced around the wake of the boat with little
indication that a rider was on board. It was not long before the tube capsized
and she had had enough.
By
now, I noticed the water was getting rather choppy with an occasional white cap
to contrast the blue water. This was as little or to no significance to my
father-in-law Tim, however, he is a man’s man, loves the outdoors. He was far
to busy chiding me, “Racheal did it, if you don’t go out there, you will never
hear the end of it.” I knew this would be true, for the boat had already begun
to fill up with resounding pokes and prods from the other in-laws. I swallowed
whatever reservations I had, and threw caution to the wind. Once I said ok, my
wife chimed in, “I’ll go too.” I am not sure if she thought I would feel safe
with her by my side out there, or if she being the thrill-seeker was chomping
at the bit for the experience. Either way, she was a true partner wanting to
see all life’s moments side by side; I was happy to have her come along.
The
water had quite a few more white caps, but I am sure the in-laws were blinded
by the opportunity to have fresh blood in the water. It started to rain big
heavy cold drops as soon as the rope went taught. The kind of drops that feel
like someone is flicking you with their finger when they hit your skin.
Nonetheless, the in-laws pulled on the throttle and away we went. The rain
transitioned from thumps of a finger to being pelted by icicles. My wife and I
signaled for them to stop and pull us back in. Since all of the attention was
on getting Kassandra, the tube, and I back into the boat; none of us were
prepared for the scene to follow.
We
looked up to head back to the cabin only to see a grey cloud encompassing the
boat. Our big open country view turned into a dismal wall of grey that allowed
us only to see ten feet in any direction. Soon, we were being bombarded from
every direction by wave after wave. Like bullies surrounding a child on a
school playground, the waves seemed to enjoy our situation of helplessness.
I
realized that the perils of the lake were upon us. Recalling the safety tour
over the boat from Uncle Six, who was not with us, I passed out the life
jackets. Next was to discern who would need further assistance if the boat were
to capsize. At first, I thought of my beloved wife, but knowing that even
though she may not be a strong swimmer, with her fight for life, strong will,
and a life jacket, she would be just fine. Jake was the youngest in the group,
at the age of seventeen. He was strong, athletic, and more than capable to keep
his wits about him. Most likely, it would be the two girls, Racheal and Honey,
who would need to be looked after. I noticed during this short assessment that all of them
were looking to their father. They were looking to Tim for strength, hope, and
assurance that everything was going to be fine. It was at that moment with Tim
standing at the bow of the boat, a giant wave toppled over him. The wave
dropped him to the floor of the boat, and like a cat that had just been dunked
into a bucket of water he scrambled for something to hold onto. The look of
panic set fear and worry into the rest of the boat. Thoughts of this being the
end started to set in. The boat was taking in water, and there was no telling
how much longer it would hold up. Recalling an old Sunday school story form my
youth, of Jesus calming the seas, I shot an arrow of prayer to the heavens,
“Father, you created the heavens and the earth, my life is in your hands, by
your will calm this storm like you did in the past. Amen.” No sooner did amen
leave my mouth when with the flick of a switch the waves stopped and the skies
cleared.
A good reminder for the storms ahead, call on God and He will answer!
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