Bring on the Mountains!

It’s more than a bit interesting to me that I’ve traveled more miles in the last year and gone to more distant places than I ever have before … way more than a bit interesting to me for more reasons than I could ever possibly list. I’ve never really been much of a traveler, other than my jaunts to Colorado with my kiddos when they were young and an occasional trip to the beach in my college years. I used to dream a lot about traveling the world, but that’s all it ever was for me, nothing more than the carefree, unencumbered daydreaming of youth. But this year I’ve covered a whole lot of important miles … really important and life-changing miles … physical miles and emotional miles … hard miles and easy miles … happy miles and sad miles … miles that seemed to never end and miles that flew by faster than I could blink. Even as I type those words I’m reminded anew that life … every single moment of life … is a journey best appreciated one solitary step at a time.

I’m beginning the writing of today’s post while I’m riding in the back seat of Matt and Becca’s car as Matt drives us to the mountain town of Banff where we will be spending the next couple of days. There’s a sweet almost two-year-old little girl snoozing peacefully in her car seat by my side … soft blonde hair swirled under her cute little stocking cap, yellow blanket draped across her lap, pink bear nestled next to her rosy cheek. I’m finding it difficult to take my eyes off of her … she is such a precious little person. She’s learned to say, “I’m Ghee’s buddy,” since I arrived on Wednesday, and I must say those three words are like medicine to my soul. This visit is extra special to me, and I feel an overwhelming need to make the most of every second I have with my eldest child and his little family. Perhaps it’s because Christmas is just around the corner and I’m feeling especially sentimental and nostalgic this year, but something deep within me tells me that this time I have with Matt, Becca and C.J. carries with it a significant and important meaning and purpose.

I’m finishing the writing of today’s post while I’m stretched out on a bed in an upstairs loft bedroom at a quaint mountain condo on the outskirts of Banff. Matt, Becca and Coraline are sound asleep in a bedroom downstairs, and the quiet of the night surrounds me like a soft warm blanket. Earlier in the evening, I went with Matt to the grocery store to buy milk and bread, and then on to pick up dinner because we all agreed that C.J. had been in the car long enough and needed time to just run around the condo and play before bedtime. Sitting at the table watching Matt drink a beer as we talked, I felt what I’ve felt several times since I arrived … love … my son loves me … he always has and he always will. And at the end of the day, friends, that's what matters ... that's what truly, truly, truly matters more than anything ... love.