1300 miles
2 States
20 towns
5 great friends
1 divine connection
and....we're back! :) We've been gone for 6 days on a road trip to visit family and friends back home in W. Texas and NM. I took pictures for all you visual people out there, so be looking for those. They'll be up soon.
I call this entry "follow the yellow brick road" because my visit back home was very healing as it always has been. I forget this every year until I actually drive into town. I love driving the long road once I get out of the fast lane of the metroplex. There is nothing like driving for miles and seeing only one car in the midst of the deep blue sky and the wide open road. I could see for miles upon end. As it is a very long drive, I spend most of my time listening to music while the girls watch movies or sleep and this year was no different. What do I listen to you ask? Well, here is a small sample of what is on my iPod playlist:
Harry Connick, Jr
Danny Wood
Shaun Barrowes
Madonna
Blink 182
Poison
Keane
James Taylor
The Police
Regina Spektor
David Crowder Band
Blue October
Secondhand Serenade
R.E.M.
Bowling for Soup
Chris Brown
Nirvana
Tupac and Dr. Dre
Switchfoot
During my time away I experienced many divine moments that were very personal and comforting to me. I was reminded of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Avery watches this movie at least once a week and has been talking about being Dorothy for Halloween for a year. She has it all planned out, and humorously asked me this week if we would paint her a yellow brick road for her to follow during trick or treating. :)
Dorothy follows the road and continues on her search for The Wizard, so that she may return back to KS. What she doesn't realize until the very end is the power to return home is right there within her. It really is simply up to her.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about getting grounded. I have discovered that my visit back home during this week specifically was a divine intervention. It was significant because I spent time in my hometown exactly 20 years after my brother died. Going back home was a part of my getting grounded cleanse.
I found that while I was there among the mountain tops of NM and the starry, cool sky of W. Texas I was finding my own yellow brick road. I was able to focus on the good things in life: friends, family, and nature. It sometimes takes going away from your comfort zone to re-center your soul. I kept a continuous banter going about how unbelievable it was that people in these areas could even survive without Wi-Fi or even a computer in their home. Many didn't even know what Wi-Fi was when I asked! What?!?! You mean families can survive if they don't have a one-to-one computer scenario in their home?
The girls enjoyed time with my parents in NM and spent many hours playing at the parks and taking full advantage of being spoiled. Tuesday afternoon, we headed back to Texas.
The girls love playing with my close friends' kids and so they were so excited to be back in my hometown. We stopped for our usual famous snow cone from the little stand that I have been going to for almost 15 years. Avery got a dreamsicle and I had a fresh lemon squeeze, my all time favorite, that cannot be found anywhere within a 50 mile radius from my home now.
As we stopped at the local Wal-Mart and the local convenience store and drove through town, I noticed how laid back everyone was. I made a note of a specific gentleman that stood for at least a minute to hold the door open for us. I am sure that there are far less people here that would do that. I noticed how everyone waves from their car as you pass them even though they don't know you. I noticed that scorpions were more common that I remembered. I noticed that people pull over to the side if they see you're going faster than them. I noticed that "stickers" are something that I grew up with but something that my girls had no clue about. I noticed the hot days and cool nights. I noticed that these people really know what it means to live instead of living above their means. I noticed that I felt much closer to God when I stopped to breathe in all that surrounded me.
We visited a former classmate of mine and his mom. While we visited Avery was going on again about how she would be Dorothy for Halloween. So, his mom sat at the piano and played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "We're Off To See The Wizard." It was mesmerizing and magical to watch my girls listen to this song and sing along. It is one of my favorite moments of the year, thus far.
Another moment will stand out in my mind, as well. I was taking the girls to the restroom at the McDonalds/convenience store, I was listening to a new favorite song "Let Him Lead" and I then began herding the girls back to the car after we checked out. As I walked out, I noticed a guy waving at me. I honestly had no idea who it was, so I did that sort of half way and kept walking. Maddie asked "Who was that?" I said "I have no idea." About that time, I heard my name being called and turned around. Who WAS this guy?! He told me his first name and I was still clueless. Then, with his last name I realized that he was the son of a close family friend. The last time I saw him was at my wedding and he was still a KID.
I don't think our running into each other was a coincidence, but I ended up leaving without getting his number. I knew that I'd regret leaving town if I didn't try to contact him again. Ironically, he was just a few years younger than my brother, John, and shared the exact same birth day - June 8. I had memories of them playing together for hours with toy dump trucks and backhoes. 9 years after I lost my brother, he lost his dad in a car accident. We have never discussed either event since.
So, with the simple knowledge of his work place, I sought out to get his number since it was unlisted. I called his place of employment ready to give a long story on why I deserved to have the information, but after simply asking for it, the person on the other end said "Hang on, I'll give you his cell number." In usual W. Texas fashion, everyone knows everyone and so they have no reserve giving out information. ;)
So, after a few text messages I found myself sitting on the front porch with this friend until late at night. We discussed many things including our experiences with our brother and dad. The stories we exchanged were things that both of us had forgotten. The talk was impacting, healing and definitely meant to be. It was exactly what I needed.
As I drove out of town the next morning, I smiled. When you give up all control and let Him lead, he directs your path in ways that you could never imagine.
Posts
