Have you ever floated down a river?
Jerome and I floated with our kids down the Saint Croix River on a hot, hot Labor Day several years ago. The cool water felt fabulous.
Soon enough, I separated from the family, moving at my own pace, on my wave. I laid back on my raft and closed my eyes. I can still feel the sun soaking into my body, storing the memory for winter days sure to come.
I relaxed so much that I floated right past Dunrovin.
Thankfully, someone on a nearby sandbar saw me from across the river. I heard a yell, “Is that someone floating on the river?” I peeked an eye open, recognized the sand bar, and started paddling upstream. Good memories!
We all have a happy place, even if an imaginary one. Crazy enough, a recent happy place of mine was the Pacific Ocean in San Diego in January 2024. During that month of all the rain and floods, Jerome and I experienced seven days of glorious sunshine! A year later, we now pray for that corner of the United States as they suffer massive wildfires around Los Angeles.
Therapists and gurus suggest we visualize a happy place during stressful or lonely times. When Dunrovin conducted our “2-Question-Just-a-Wee-Bit-o’-Fun” Poll last March, we asked people to name their happy places. The overwhelming response included water, everywhere from salmon fishing in Alaska to the Boundary Waters to warm turquoise waters, swimming at the cabin, walleye fishing on the Saint Croix, and many more water responses! Grandchildren and family were the second most favorite responses.
Many guests tell us Dunrovin is a favorite happy place. Our staff loves to create a safe, comfortable, and welcoming home for each person. We hope Dunrovin becomes a “home away from home” for you.
This ministry arises out of the heart of God, Who is our true home and our sure happy place. As individuals and as a global and national society, we endure countless stressors that can challenge our belief in the goodness of God. As we begin 2025, a Jubilee Year of Hope called by Pope Francis, let us lay all our stressors before the heart of our God, who knows us best and loves us most. His promise is sure,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Oh, by the way, let’s float the river together next Labor Day.
Mary Meeds, AFSC, moved to Dunrovin with her husband and children in 1999, where they sit and enjoy “Dinner on the Deck” overlooking the Saint Croix River as often as possible.