"There would be such wonderful things to do."

 Do you have a special place? I'm thinking about a certain kind of geographical spot, that brings you good memories or warm feelings. Some place, from long ago that was and will always be, "your" place.

When I need some extra happy memories, my mind always goes back to the neighborhood park, of my childhood. When I was a kid, this place was magical. It had a couple of immensely tall metal "slippperyslides" and a round disk ride that more often than not, flung little riders, off into the distant grass! There were swings, too. Several different sizes, all with heavy wood seats. No seat belts, safety harnesses or guard rails for my generation.

My childhood park featured a small lake, that was once used to water mules that transported dirt and coal, for the coal mines in the area. When the land around it became a city park, the lake was used for fishing, in the warm months, and ice skating, in the winter.

As a kid, I recall visiting the park at least a couple of times a week. In the summer we rode our bikes to the park, and usually stayed there until we got hungry or it started to get dark. Nobody, ever had their parents drive them to the lake. You would almost always run into some kids you knew, already playing on the equipment, skating or fishing. It was a kids' place. We hung out at the park.

The worst thing that ever happened at the park, was a broken arm or two. I fell off of the tallest side, once, and lived to tell about it. Sometimes a kid would fall or jump in the lake. Usually, that ended in a spanking, for getting your clothes wet!

Now, through luck or fate, I have a similar small lake, in my backyard. It's a beautiful place to sit, to walk around and to just enjoy the outdoors. I love it.

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Dear God. Life involves a lot of ups and downs and twists and turns. Sometimes, we come right back to where we started. And that's just fine.You are our Constant.