I don't often write about my life before digging in roots on Lake Roosevelt. The fall of 1992 was a time of uncertainty in my life. I knew things weren't right in my first marriage, but I always thought if things ran smoothly at home, if I cooked just the right meal, or if we did things together we enjoyed then perhaps it would repair what was broken. We went and watched the movie " A River Runs Through It" that October. It brought back memories of a camping trip at Lolo, fishing up the river, and his grandfather standing at his favorite creek casting that last line of the day. We loved that movie. I loved the soundtrack and played it often, remembering those scenes filmed so close to where we had camped and fished.
When our marriage came to an end, like the title of the last song on the soundtrack, I was " Haunted by Waters". Whether it was a north Idaho river, the lake that connected tradition, family and friends , or the Columbia near our home. These haunting memories were too close to the surface. I stayed away from many waters.
I am in a different place now in my life. The creeks and the rivers that merge into Lake Roosevelt give me strength and a sense of peace. I appreciate the power and beauty of the waters that surround me. I now embrace the words Norman Maclean so eloquently penned at the end of his book and the movie,
"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."
I am no longer haunted by my waters. I embrace the history and sustainability of Lake Roosevelt, the great Columbia and the rivers that run through it. All things did merge into one and I have learned much from the words of wisdom under the rocks. The following video gives life to two other theme songs from the movie, connecting those waters to the ones I have grown to love in the place I now call home.
