Dear Reader, As a Lakewood resident for over 25 years, I often forget what the Lakewood of old used to look like. To remind myself, I like to make frequent visits to the only place in town I know that didn’t change-Lake Carasaljo. While the town has definitely turned into more of a metropolis than the resort town it had once been known as, there is still some remaining semblance of its former beauty.
Growing up in Lakewood I have vivid memories of fishing, biking, frog-catching and enjoying many other lake-oriented activities. However, as a busy adult, these opportunities aren’t as easily presented anymore. This past Sunday however, I had the chance to make a family trip to the lake. Upon our arrival, the sight that greeted us was absolutely stunning! Apparently, the large collection of birds that were hanging around the lake had gotten a hold of some food, resulting in a feeding frenzy. The photo op presented was just to good to be true. I began snapping away in the hopes that if they ever decided to build a development on the lake, I’d at least have some good pictures of the beauty the lake once provided.
I believe the remaining natural beauty this town still has is often overlooked or ignored. Why this is, I have no idea.
Sincerely,
A caring resident of Lakewood.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to newstips@thelakewoodscoop.com)
if you would like to stop taking things for granted & see the positive beauty in everything continue reading:
I was once approached by 3 people-at 3 different occasions-with the same question, Each person asked me, how he can learn to stop taking things for granted & instead appreciate them? I then replied to each one with a different answer. The first person that approached me was in a shul, before starting Shachris. I told him, most lessons a person learns in life take weeks & months to learn but this lesson takes only one hour to learn. I then opened up a siddur to birchas Hashachar. & showed him boruch… pokeach Ivrim (blessed be Hashem for giving sight to the blind) & told him why don’t you close your eyes for one hour, just one hour & then open it up to, the world to color & beauty etc… you will not know how to thank Hashem enough. I then gave him 2 other examples. Boruch… Matir Asurim (blessed be Hashem for releasing the prisoner) & told him why don’t you lock yourself in a empty room for 1 hour?-it doesn’t need to be a prison cell it could even have a little furniture, & then come out an hour later to freedom & the world etc…. Boruch… Zokeif Kefufim (blessed be Hashem for straightening the bent) & told him why don’t you stand straight for one hour, no knuckles, elbows or knees, & then loosen yourself free. You will not know how to thank Hashem enough for giving you so much… how would a person eat & put food in his mouth without using his elbows? These are just a few examples. The second person approached me & I replied to him from a different perspective, I Told him if a company of 1000 employees had a policy that all employees must hand in their cell phone from 9:00am-when they arrive-until 5:00pm-when they leave-when he would get it back (at 5:00pm upon leaving) the person would not just look at his missed calls & text messages but would actually start to see the beauty of “the cell phone” & everything that it does…. upon the Third person approaching me-in the midst of a major snowstorm on a friday night-& asked me how will he ever make it home in such deep snow & darkness? I asked him if he knew what I think of when I see snow at night? He replied no, so I told him of the pesukim we say during maariv & in the morning of, Hashem takes light from darkness & dark from lightness. i.e. what else could light up the entire ground in the midst of darkness like snow? With Hashem deciding on each storm how big it will be & each snowflake if it will stick-to the ground-or become water in mid-air etc… BOTTOM LINE: there is always a way to look at every situation in the positive way (from a big water bill in the mail to other sad situations or any other situation a person is in.)
May we all appreciate the beautiful world Hashem gave us & continues to provide all our needs 24/7
And it’s not even a natural lake, I believe it is man-made.
Brooklyn used to be farmland too. Is that what is in store for Lakewood? Horrors!!
Lakewood used to be beautiful with the pine trees and a fresh clean look. What has happened to our town? there are less and less trees and land available. We used to be call The Land of the Pines”. Now what can we call it????? I have wonderful memories of this town and many old photos of what this town used to look like. It was beautiful and everyone got along together.
Woohoo will the real M.C. please stand up!
please post my message. I cant understand whats wrong with it or why it wasn’t posted.
THANK YOU TLS
it is man made by Mr Brick..Brick Township is named after him for his three children Cara Sal and Joe (carasaljo) and his wife mannetta
I believe the lake is named after 3 girls that drowned in that lake. It was Carol, Sally and Jo. Brick township was called Bricksburg. It used to be beautiful. We used to go ice skating on the safety pond and also there was a skating rink for the hotel guests on first street across from St. Mary’s Church. Lots of fun and they even opened the rink up to the kids in Lakewood. the best part was that everyone was treated equally.
check out Lake Carasaljo on wikipedia for more information. The girls names were Caroline, Sarah (Sally) and Josephine — they were painted in a canoe on the mural in town hall — haven’t been there in years but I believe it is still there. the neighboring Lake Mannetta is named for their mother. Georgian Court across the lake is still as lovely as ever and on the National Register of Historic Places and Ocean County Park and Lake Shenandoah are lovely to walk and ride through. Hopefully when the historical museum re-opens in Pine Park, people will be able to at least see photographs of how lovely the town was.
Yes there were beautiful moments at the lake feeding the ducks, and picturesque houses and rambling lanes….guess what….we now have families and children ka’h, and yeshivah’s bursting with torah….and yes, it comes with a little overcrowding, parking and traffic woes…but how could we complain…it’s what we daven for and we should thank Hashem for the growth even if there are growing pains, and we should be pleasant to all rather than grumbling because the smile you spread, the little abuses you take smilingly, just promulgate achdus and simcha. I love you all for making Lakewood what it is and wish you much hatzlocha in continuing this wonderful derech !!