June 22 - July 22

If you know your zodiac, those are the dates for the sign of Cancer. I fall on the cutoff date July 22, but I know exactly why! I'm not a Leo. I fit Cancer in every way. The following is a great description. http://www.astrology.com/allaboutyou/sunsigns/cancer.html

Cancer is one of the water signs, identified by emotion and nurture. My emotions change like the tides. I'm deeper than I appear on the surface. But the telltale signs of a Cancer show both inside me and out. I'm drawn to the water. Many of my good memories relate to being around the water with the people I love.

Even as a baby, I was taken out in a boat on the river so my parents could fish and sunbathe. We grew up next to, in, and on the Columbia River. Some days we'd just cruise the river. Dad knew all the best fishing spots. He knew where to show us wildlife. We'd have fishing competitions. We watched fireworks and hydroplanes from the boat. We'd take picnics to the sandy beaches along the water. We spent together time.

One of my favorite family vacations didn't feature an airplane ride or a fancy hotel, but riding in a station wagon and going up to the family cabin by the lake. The whole extended family would go. We took hikes in the woods, frolicked in the lake, caught baby frogs on the shore, played cards and horseshoes. Recently, my family sold the cabin but the memories will always remain.

When I was little my Grandparents moved to the coast. I was devastated...until we got to go visit for the first time. Once I beachcombed, I was forever hooked on finding treasures that the ocean spit out just for me. Maybe it was the thrill of visiting Grandma and Grandpa and getting spoiled. The fresh seafood. The tourist shops. Maybe it was the clamming with Grandpa, the fireworks on the beach, the horseback rides in the surf. The ocean had its grip on me and will forever draw me back.

While I was dating my now-husband, we spent lots of time by the river. We enjoyed fishing together. Well, I did more fishing because he would spend time untangling my line while I used his fishing pole. We spent nights sleeping in the back of his truck next to the river. He watched from the boat as I learned to waterski. We rafted down it on sultry summer days. We even skinny-dipped there and had a good laugh as a couple boats went speeding by.

The water holds all this and so much more for me. It can be utterly violent and unpredictable at times, but at others there is something so serene about not being able to see bottom. Just what it holds at its depths is more than crawdads and catfish. It holds discarded riffraff and forgotten treasures. Water means recreation and congregation. It's like the tide has some magnetic force that draws us to gather nearby. I feel compelled to show my boys all that water has to offer too.