Sunday, January 26, 2014

Dreams


Shortly after a relative had passed, I had a dream and she was in it. I remember seeing her so vividly and feeling a calming presence. My body seemed to float towards her and her spouse, who is also deceased. As I came closer, she looked at me and smiled. She said, 'It's so good to be home.' After she spoke those words, I woke up. I recall feeling happy and at peace with her death.

I recently read a book by Theresa Caputo, 'Is There More to Life Than This'. She discusses how dreams of our deceased are really our loved ones communicating with us. Do you believe our loved ones can communicate with us after they die? Have you had a similar experience?

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Last House That Pa Built

What is so interesting about DeSmet, South Dakota? Why are you driving all the way out there? Don't you have anything better to do with your summer vacation?

These questions were asked many times over as I planned a road trip to DeSmet. I had planned the trip for months, but it really began when I was eight years old. In the 1970's, a television show called 'Little House on the Prairie' captured the hearts of many, including mine. It made me wonder about our country's history, the mid-west and the power of writing our thoughts on paper.

What if Laura Ingalls never wrote about her childhood? Would we cherish that time of our history? Would the last house that Pa built still be standing?

The house is standing...thousands visit every year....and the admiration for the Ingalls family continues.



Sunday, January 5, 2014

Discovering Home


The first day of summer.  My bags packed and a new Jeep ready for a cross-country drive.  I had six weeks to roam America from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  I saved most of my Army paychecks the past two years for this adventure. It had finally arrived.  I signed my exit papers at Fort Bragg and never looked back.

My plan was no plan. If I saw something interesting, I would stop and explore. The country seemed new to me; like I had never noticed the blue sky, corn fields and small towns with quaint eateries & welcoming residents. The Blue Ridge Parkway led me to the plains of Iowa and Nebraska. I started to crave the mountains again- which meant only one destination...Colorado.

Entering Durango, I rolled down my window. I heard the Durango-Silverton train blow its whistle, as the tourists settled in their seats. The train ride that brings you closest to what Heaven must look like. That's what the hotel manager told me, as I was registering for a room.

A ticket in my hand, I boarded the train and found a seat by a window. I prepared my camera as the train began to move. The town of Durango quickly disappeared. The train passed by waterfalls & mountains covered with blue spruce trees. The land seemed untouched, except by God's hand. And then, it appeared.  I lowered my camera and rubbed my eyes to insure the view was real. A cabin in the distance, surrounded by open fields on three sides and mountains on the fourth. 

I would not make it to the Pacific Ocean on this journey. Someday. For now, I was home.