In an attempt to keep Michael and Madelyn, my nephew and niece, from jumping into the freezing water this past Mother’s Day, my brother offered them a spin around the lake in my parents’ old wooden rowboat. The kids eagerly took him up on the offer and excitedly prepared to embark. My dad raced across the backyard to help my brother get the boat in the water, throwing lifejackets to the kids, all while anxiously warning my brother to be very careful, to watch for the big rock that was in the water a few houses down, and not to go out too far. With lots of smiles and waving, the three of them set sail across the calm waters of Lake Hopatcong. My parents took to their chairs on the porch, cocktails in hand, my dad a nervous wreck, while my sister-in-law and I lay on the dock, soaking in the sun’s near summertime warmth and predicting what would happen on the season finale of Smash, a show that we both enjoy watching and discussing.
I was shaken from my relaxed state when I heard my mom yell out, “Cindy. Cindy. I think that they might need a rescue!” Joanna and I frantically scanned the lake, looking for the white rowboat. Moments later we saw my brother and the kids, safely on the neighbor’s dock ten houses down from my parents. I watched my brother with miraculous strength hoist the rowboat out of the water singlehandedly. Joanna and I grabbed their shoes and raced up McGregor Avenue to greet my brother and the kids and to hear the details of their frightening misadventure. We spotted the kids first, each wearing a lifejacket and carrying an oar in each hand. Then, from behind a wooded driveway, my brother appeared, carrying the entire rowboat over his head, grumbling about how the rowlock had been stripped and there was no way for him to row. Jo and I quickly helped him carry the 100+ pound boat and were simply in awe that he had managed the situation without as much as breaking a sweat.
Back on dry land, we celebrated my brother and the kids’ safe return to land as we reviewed the events over a fantastic meal. The kids admitted to feeling scared when it turned out that my Dad’s worries were justified as my brother floundered to find a strategy for rowing the boat with a single oar, but said that they felt confident that their father would prevail. My nephew said that the incident taught him one thing: if you are going to paddle around the lake, make sure you have a brand new kayak instead of an old rowboat. I couldn’t help but think of this fleeting moment and its two life lessons a little differently: you may find yourself in situations that will require you to rescue yourself, and when you have lost your way, it often comes down to sheer strength in order to get yourself safely back to shore.
My brother and I were blessed to inherit many gifts from our mother, Bonnie. One came in rather handy for my brother on this day: the gift of keeping a cool head in the face of adversity. My mother was a tower of strength in the face of any hardship or uncertainty while we were growing up, role modeling grace under pressure and giving my brother and me the resourcefulness and inner strength to take care of ourselves. I would never be the woman I am today without my mom’s constant love, support, and encouragement, not to mention her irreverent sense of humor and abounding energy which drives her. It was those same gifts that helped my brother emerge victorious from his misadventure on the lake in the rowboat aptly named the “Tri-umph Too.” Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.
Want to see more? The entire gallery from Mother’s Day can be found at http://smu.gs/LAMuP3
A marvelous triumph and tribute!