31 Days of a Small Town Gal (Day 9): a walk in the park.

{Welcome to our October series, "31 Days of a Small Town Gal". You are on Day 9. Missed any previous posts? Click {here} to catch up!}

 I have never been much of a "park" person. But I have three memories that have remained in my mind that took place at an outdoor location people visit daily. 

The first time I remember visiting Cove Lake Park was when I was probably seven or eight years old. My dad was always really good at scheduling daddy/daughter dates, and on that particular day, he took me to the park, rented bikes, and we biked many of the trails in the park. After the bike ride, we rode on a paddle boat through the murky waters of the lake, wearing old tattered life jackets. I remember not talking much, just sitting there, absorbing the fact that I helped power this tiny boat with my giant eight year old feet to the middle of the water. That if I had not helped, it would have not moved. But if I paddled out of sync, my help became a hindrance. Oh, what I can learn today from that eight year old girl at the lake. 

The second memory comes as Eden's first trip to the park. It was a random weekend and Brandon was actually not called out on a meth lab, so we decided how fun it would be to take her to the park. It was the first time she said "duck", too. And I took a picture of the very duck. Of course. 

There was just something about that day---the freedom of knowing we could take our infant to the park and survive the outing (oh, if I only knew what was to come!), how it felt not to feel the burden of stress. We were simply living in the very moment of a sunny afternoon, a duck at the park, a little girl loved. 

It was a walk in the park. 

The most current park memory happened in late July of this year. I mentioned it in {this post} but it still makes my heart skip a beat. The now father of three, arriving home with a bucket of worms and a used fishing pole, and purposing his time on a weekday eve to create a small adventure for our family. 

We did not catch a single fish. But every time we have been back to that small park; EVERY time, the kids see rings and ripples in the calm and peace of the lake, they excitedly chat about the fish that are making those waves.

And how they are coming up for air. 

Just as a little eight year old girl paddled her heart out in a boat with her dad, may these little ones remember bait going to waste and an evening of new memories.