I HAVE COMPLETED
something that I had relegated to the bottom
of my personal Bucket List as an IMPROBABILITY. It suddenly jumped to
the level of a POSSIBILITY....then to a PRIORITY when I discussed it
with my four sons at my 90th birthday celebration. I anticipated that
the road trip to my hometown would not only give me a great deal of
joy, but that God had a purpose for it.
I wanted once more to
visit the place of my birth, the place of my roots and heritage in
Iowa. And touch my remaining relatives and friends and "hug
their necks."
My son Cliff volunteered to drive me and be my companion. He more than fulfilled that huge role! He rented a car, made the most comfortable reservations for our accommodations, and carefully watched over my well-being and all the logistics involved. And he was patient and gracious to sit and listen to conversations with our relatives and friends most of whom were strangers to him but memorable to me. We set off on what turned out to be about 2030 miles RT for our week's journey.
My son Cliff volunteered to drive me and be my companion. He more than fulfilled that huge role! He rented a car, made the most comfortable reservations for our accommodations, and carefully watched over my well-being and all the logistics involved. And he was patient and gracious to sit and listen to conversations with our relatives and friends most of whom were strangers to him but memorable to me. We set off on what turned out to be about 2030 miles RT for our week's journey.
Cliff's GPS
gadget
got a good workout enabling him to readily
locate a total of nearly 50 people on my list to hug in one-on-one
visits and sometimes at breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to which we
were invited. We enjoyed trips to the countryside, farms, and places
of nostalgia where I spent the first 18 years of my life and where I
was married.
I really thought that I couldn't possibly cover all the list of people I hoped to see in a few brief days. Nevertheless, I prayed and committed myself to God's GPS=God's Precise Selection, and knew I would connect with exactly the people He had planned. The timing turned out to be so accurate, even to the perfect fall weather in the Heartland and the availability of those I wanted to see. I felt that each encounter was meant to be. Those moments for both of us were not random; we touched one another for some purpose God had in mind. There were some surprise extra folks we met which were more than coincidence.
I was aware that on such
an emotional experience I would keenly miss my parents and many
relatives and friends who have departed this life in past decades.
There were poignant moments. Places of my childhood and growing years
have changed until some were nearly unrecognizable. Cedar Rapids,
Iowa had experienced a 500 year flood a few years ago which
drastically changed the landscape.
The beloved family home where I
grew up was a rental house now, but the occupants warmly welcomed us
for a memory walk through. Many of the “earth suits” (bodies) of
the friends and relatives who remain have grown weathered and weary
with the years. I visited the hospital and a half dozen assisted
living residences to renew friendships with those who now call it
"home."
On the final day of our
drive home to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, thank God we
navigated safely through drenching rain and dense fog especially
through the mountains and valleys. We left behind the sunshine of
Iowa with its memories of a happy crossing-out of an important-to-me
item on my Bucket List.
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