My grandson used to live with us on weekends.
Early Saturday mornings you couldn’t hear footsteps.
But you could see blue eyes peering over the bed.
My late wife would laugh & say to me,
“You two need to go on an adventure today.”
It’s summer so we drive to Putah Creek.
We amble down the dirt road
paralleling the waterway.
Tristen is only about three
so I carry him on my shoulders
when he gets a bit tired.
The little curly white terrier,
Bodhi, dawdles along beside us.
After awhile we come to a good spot.
There are scattered boulders,
a few scrubby oak trees,
& a little trail down to the water.
We cross over into the creek.
We both have on sandals with buckles
so we can wade the stony shallows.
The sun is warm & the water is cool.
The trio of us ease our way up the stream –
a man, a boy & a dog, journeying together.
As we go on, the water rises,
to our ankles, knees, hips.
As Bodhi starts swimming,
I lift Tristen into my left arm.
On the one side of the creek
there is a great wall of bamboo.
On the other side, a blackberry thicket,
with refugee grapevines from the vineyard.
The creek deepens, the bottom gets sandy
& the water rises over Tristen’s belly.
He tenses, “Unhh, unhh.”
I whisper, “It’s alright.
Don’t be afraid.”
We both notice Bodhi
is beginning to struggle
to keep abreast of us.
I reach over & grasp his collar,
towing him with my right arm.
Tristen watches this with wide eyes,
& his body eases fully into my embrace.
One of the great moments of my life.
The three of us settle into the rhythm
of walking through flowing water.
It is at this primeval point that
three seemingly golden herons
glide silently across our path.
Trust & care are rooted deeply
in the light & love of the Soul.
Which fully blooms only
with the honoring of promises.