60. The Great Lakes

This blog is, currently, my gratitude for things American and I'm enumerating them as I go.

            Erie, Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Superior…the Great Lakes. These huge inland fresh water seas lie huge in the American (and Canadian) imagination. Huge portions of our population have never seen those waters yet we all know about them. We know about the woods of their shores, the birch bark canoes of the Iroquois that have crested their waves. We know how they contributed to our westward migration. We know how they brought trade to the interior.

            And I think the Great Lakes are beautiful. Everywhere I’ve seen them (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) they are free of excessive human population. I also love water, so it’s no big surprise that I love how those lakes dwell in my imagination. They are big beautiful bodies of water that represent peace in not only the blue of their waters but the international border they form. They are a place where two nations can be calmed by healing waters, united by trade and made into the most powerful nations in the world. And like any body of water in my imagination they represent cleansing, forgiveness and relief from the stress of the world. I am so thankful for the great lakes and their beauty, their connection and their place in the imagination of North Americans.