Writing by Adam Porter
People will say, “Water is the creator and the destroyer of life”, and this holds true in my opinion. Although I do not have any personal connections with the Chippewa River, it reminds me of the times I did have in another body of water, Lake Huron. I know the Chippewa river does not have the same physical features as Lake Huron but it does hold a power that comes to me when I am by the river. My family and I would always take a camping trip with some family friends my Dad grew up around when he was in high school. All week, we would be by the water. We would play silly games like catch with the football or see who could hold their breath the longest under water. My personal favorite was to see who would swim the farthest even though I would never win due to the fact I was one of the younger and smaller children at the time. This was always my favorite trip because I knew when my family was by the water, we were in our happy place. We were not distracted by anything from the outside world, it was finally our time of peace and quiet. The Chippewa River holds a power that is unmeasurable because this body of water reminds me of the trips my family used to take. While walking down the edge of the river bank, I see a bunch of dead grass and dirt hidden underneath the lightly shaded snow but the funny thing is, it reminds me of walking up and down the coast line with the sand on my feet. When I find a rock by the river, no it does not look like the rocks I find near the lake, but it still reminds me of when we used to skip the rocks in to the water. Those same feelings reoccur in my body and I start to feel like I am on those vacations again. I even experience this when something as small as a leaf or a tree branch fall in the water. It reminds me of the waves I would watch for hours in Lake Huron. I love being at the lake and the river allows me to experience those feelings again. People say, “Water is the creator and destroyer of life”, and this holds true. Lake Huron gave my family life and excitement when we would go back to the same spot for vacation. The Chippewa River gives me life because it reminds me of the times I had as a child out by the lake.