The Trip of A Lifetime

Image by Rachel Ford James via Flickr

      In life it is not where we have been that matters but where we are going.


There's nothing like the travel channel or looking through 1,000 Places to See Before You Die tto make you start to think about where you want to go. I have seen the beaches in Antigua, the wine country in Napa, the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde and the colors in the morning sun in Bryce Canyon. While there are been countless incredible places I have visited, my heart has often remembered the ones less spectacular but still places where I enjoyed life to the fullest regardless of the scenery.  You know those places too, I am sure; the porch swing at my grandma's where I got to eat thick pieces of homemade bread slathered with fresh strawberry jam, the kitchen table at a friend's house, where secrets were shared and laughter and tears were equally welcome, the arms of a loved one, which feels like home no matter where I am. Anywhere with my husband and children together. The scenery may change but often what really moves us is not where we are but what we see on the journey.

I have had my breath taken away not only looking at Niagara Falls but also in a delivery room when tiny babies where placed in my arms. I counted their fingers and toes and commented about how they had my husband's eyelashes or my mother's ears held mesmerized by that moment and many of those to come which I couldn't see then. In the midst of the scenery of raising children, the moment never takes  the picture only years can reveal. I saw toys everywhere,faces smeared with chocolate pudding, finger prints on walls and bumps and bruises from fights with siblings. I saw caterpillars stuffed in clothing, baby birds in shoe boxes, uneven bangs from playing "barber" with a neighbor and flowers removed from a neighbor's plants when the pruning shears looked like a fun toy. Later I saw a bedroom unrecognizable for the clothes,school work, awards and dishes scattered amid the softball bats and piles of library books in every corner. From broken down cars to broken hearts, Eskimo rolls to weapon handling I saw a young lady who turned out to amaze my husband and I often more in spite of us than because of us. 
Image by nicole.pierce.photography ♥ via Flickr 
I passed a picture today of a day old infant with dark curly hair, which is exactly what I saw that morning over three decades ago when she was placed in my arms. Motherhood is like some rare place you always want to visit, but have no idea what to expect when you get there. It is a combination of awe, surprise, and amazement. It is a journey that is sometimes rough, sometimes delightful and all the time one you hang on to through pictures as the scenery changes and goes much faster than you ever dreamed possible. It doesn't feel like it will pass so quickly when you are knee deep in diapers and 3 a.m. feedings or making science projects or taking gum out of pig tails  or packing up a college dorm for another summer break but in the blink of an eye...it's another photo in life's camera.

I may not have realized the journey I was taking so many years ago when but I have had nothing but an amazing trip so far with a woman who will always be my little girl. She has shown me places I might never have chosen to visit had she not been in my life to allow me to see them with different perspectives. One of my favorite places to visit, my sweet daughter is always in your company. So happy birthday, Natalie and remember that one of life's best places to be is always in the moment....so enjoy this one and the next and the next and thank you for the many I have been blessed with because of you.
Image by Mountainbread via FlickrBlow out the candles and take another picture! and enjoy the ride Because your journey looks incredibly like a trip you will never regret if you always live it picture by picture, moment by moment, experience by experience. 

In life it is not where we have been that matters but where we are going...head in the directions of 1,000 dreams and hopes before you die and you will always end up where you want to be.