Michelle Martin

Water, water

Sunday, August 1, 2010

There’s something renewing about water.

The view of it is calming. The sound of it — whether it is the gentle lap of waves in a lake, the burbling of a small stream or the crash of ocean waves — washes away worries. No wonder the spiritual urges people to “Come to the water.”

No wonder kids love to go to the beach.

Frank and Caroline don’t do a lot of sand castle-building anymore, at least not on Chicago’s public beaches. But they are always up for a trip to the beach anyway. They get excited preparing for it: finding swimsuits and flip-flops or water shoes, packing towels and sunscreen and snacks.

When we get there, they run to the beach to stake out a good place. We follow more slowly with the baby in the stroller. We lay out towels, Caroline and Frank strip down to their swimsuits and run for the water.

Usually, they run out of the water just as quickly because of the cold. But then they go back in until they get used to it. Teresa likes getting her feet in the water, sometimes her hands too, but mostly she hangs out on the beach with at least one of her parents. Slathered in sunscreen and shaded by a canopy and sun hat (which is probably redundant, but very cute), she takes in the breeze and the sight and sound of children playing around her.

When it’s time to eat, Frank always has to make multiple trips to the water to rinse the sand off his hands.

Then, after a few hours, Teresa starts to get cranky. Frank and Caroline get hot, or cold, depending on the weather. There is the usual grumbling and grousing as we pack up and make our way back to the car: who has to carry what, whose load is heavier, why do we have to stop and rinse off.

But the glow remains, like the pink in Caroline’s cheeks. I don’t think the glow comes just from the sun; while backyard games are fun, they are not like going to the beach. Even going to the pool doesn’t have the same effect.

Maybe that’s why water figured so prominently in the Bible, not only as people drink it to quench their thirst (both physical and spiritual), but also in rivers and lakes. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River; Jesus and his apostles spent time in boats on the Sea of Galilee, where even in the midst of a storm Jesus slept.

This summer, there have been several days when local beaches have been closed because of high bacteria counts, and the Chicago River, while cleaner than it once was, is still highly polluted.

My hope and prayer is that we will take care of the water that we have, so it can always be a source of renewal for us.

Advertising