I remember very clearly the sounds of the lakeshore birds as the setting July sun dipped into the western horizon. Ducks, swans, loons, and the shrill pitch of the running sandpiper lay in the distance. Playing from my backyard, I could see the day's last rays of light twinkling on the glass-like lake just a kilometer down the hill. Freshly cut grass is scattered about the yard and I recall the smell of dirt on my hands and on my knees.

I had the whole world and every magical place I could imagine just footsteps from my door. Bowling ball-sized painted white rocks lined our forever driveway. I'd be a great mountain climber as I scaled the tops of them. Across the driveway a row of grain bins lined the edge of the adjacent pasture where our horses kicked and galloped. My dog Laddie and I would find every excuse to hide behind one of the bins and chase any approaching wildlife: hooves, heels, and paws kicking up dirt in a wild pursuit.

Our driveway stretched through our yard with the highway on one end and the old dirt road along the lake on the other. Sometimes I'd trek northward on the old road past the pastures to find my "special" spot - my place of peace and tranquility lying up on a ledge of a small cliff, hugging a section of the long lake. As I stood on the cliff's edge looking across the water, I could feel the gentle summer breeze in my hair, tickling my shoulders. Frogs croaked in the creek behind me a song that was almost amplified because of the tall-standing poplars hovering the creek ravine.

All around my special spot were multitudes of saskatoon bushes, willows, and sage. In the warm months, gophers squeaked in the background while towers of mosquitoes hissed above. I wasn't the very best berry picker as purple ooze seeped from the plump, ripe berries onto my fingertips making a sticky mess. I didn't care. That sweet taste was reward enough.

When I was a mere infant, my grandparents from Saddle Lake had a sweat lodge hut in this place. I had always wondered what it was that drew me to this spot. There's a peaceful energy of healing and nurturing blanketing the area. I still go there today, whenever I need to atone. Sometimes I go there at night, sometimes to pray. I look up at the stars and see the Northern Lights cascading across the big night sky. Inspiration fills the moolit air. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and I think to myself, ".....home.....".