With the beginning of nice weather and the arrival of springtime our family talked about events for the coming year. Foremost, was when the waterfront dock would go in and our boat could once again be moored at the shore. As we talked I remembered the previous summer and one of the last trips we took on the 22-foot boat. The children, Toby and Pippa, who were being pulled on water skis signaled to their father to drive faster. But instead of accelerating, the boat stopped abruptly in the middle of the lake, approximately 600 feet or more from the dock.

What had happened? In the midst of checking that everyone wore sunscreen, no one had checked the gas. The fuel tank was empty! There was no need to worry! The boat also had an electric motor. There was only one problem. The electric motor was driven by a battery and the battery was dead.

Our boat drifted in the still waters. Toby and Pippa were gently buoyed by the ripples. Still, no need to worry. The children swam to the front of the boat, joined by their mother and grabbing onto the ropes that normally tied the boat to shore the three pulled the boat over the ripples towards the shoreline. Soon we would be “saved,” fill the boat with gas, recharge the motor and set off on our next journey.

But then the winds arose, and waves began to lash against the boat, sending the craft in the wrong direction–away from shore. No one could pull the pontoon boat towards shore and overcome the current. We were stranded in the middle of the lake with a bottle of wine and suntan lotion! Dark clouds had gathered in the north and soon a storm would descend. Who knew where we might finally land, or when?

The only boat on the lake at the time was a jet ski with lots of power and lots of pollution. However, the jet ski noticed our distress and headed in our direction. Grabbing onto the ropes the driver of the jet ski towed us into land where our pit bull Moses was standing, barking, and wondering why we had departed without him.

After thanking the driver of the jet ski we reflected on what happens when we cannot combat the current of our lives, those vagaries that can shift at the slightest notice. On that day the current affected our boat but on another day it could affect each one of us.

Sheltering