The St. Johns River

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is quoted in her novel ‘Cross Creek’ saying, “Because I had known intimately a river, the earth pulsed under me”.
Unfortunately, not everyone is given the opportunity to travel the river by boat and know the ebbs and flows intimately; but to be near the flowing water and listen to the calls of distant birds or watch the heron take flight or witness the bald eagle swoop down to grab an unsuspecting fish and glide away to her nest; to spy an alligator as he surfaces or see turtles tumble from fallen limbs where they have been sunning themselves or to be able to catch a rare glimpse of a manatee as she and her calf swim lazily to the side of the boat and roll to have their bellies rubbed are experiences that I and my family have had because we have been blessed to live near the St. Johns River.
One does not need to own a boat or live on the river to appreciate its beauty and dignity. It is a part of us all. Whether a person realizes it or not, the calming effect of the river’s current is crucial to all of us. Just crossing the bridge and seeing the ever flowing, continuance of this ancient river is reassuring to me that although times are changing and progress never ends, the St. Johns river is one thing that stays consistent.
When my daughter Kelly was two years old she played a game with our family that we still catch ourselves playing from time to time, even now. When crossing from East Palatka into town, she would announce “It’s a BEAUTIFUL river today!” It didn’t matter if it was glassy or white capped, to her it was always beautiful. We then knew we had one mile to try and name all that could be found in the river. Bass, alligators, turtles, moccasins, manatees, arrowheads, sunken boats, and bones generally topped the list followed by sharks, whales and mermaids.
George Sand wrote, in “La Mare au Diable”: “Nature possesses the secret of happiness and no one has been able to steal it from her”. In the past few years we have had opportunities to go out on the river, whether by boating with friends or in my daughter Stephanie’s case, fishing with the Junior Angler’s Bass Club. It was Stephanie who, while fishing one morning found herself and her fishing partners surrounded by a family of manatee who would rub themselves up against the boat and roll over to be scratched. We have so many happy memories in the St. Johns and our love of the river has increased because we are able to see it up close and be a part of it. It is my hope that my children and my children’s children will also have the opportunity to fall in love with the natural beauty of the St. Johns, to feel the earth pulse underneath their feet and to one day hear sweet voices declaring “it’s a BEAUTIFUL river today”.