It's a Wonderful Life

Sunset by God, the ultimate artist.

This is a magical place.

To the wondering eyes of the uprooted Californian, uninitiated into the ways of the rest of the country, the Midwest truly is magical.

Harvest is approaching.

Here, there are changing seasons - they transition, gradually but within generally predetermined guidelines, from one distinct time of year to another.

Here, there are friendly people. They smile and wave to complete strangers! And if the stranger happens to offer a greeting or a comment about the weather, they might just stand on the sidewalk and converse for a few minutes. A small child can say "Hello!" to an unknown passer-by and all adults smile.

Some of the friendliest neighbors are Amish.

Here, there are streets adorned with trees that God planted and nobody else has ever watered or trimmed.

Here, there are sunrises and sunsets, as big as the imagination, displayed by a bountiful sky that stretches as far as the limits that frail humanity can place on the horizon.

Here, family, heritage, and community are all important.

Just a fraction of my mother's relatives.

Here, I can actually survive and support myself, on a reasonable budget, completely alone.

Alone.

There, the magic ends.

The people I love the most, with whom I have spent my life, aren't here.

Thank God for love to hold them within my heart...and modern technology that lets me hear and even see them with the touch of a button! For all that we as human beings have lost in the progression of time, we have gained also, and I have never been more grateful that we do not live in the days of the Pony Express.

Day 3 of the road trip, going through Arizona.

It's been six months since I packed all my worldly belongings in my car and, with the help of my beloved mother, drove completely across the country. Not a day goes by but I don't miss her and Dad and other loved ones I left behind.

At the same time, however, each and every day I know for a fact that I am where God wants me to be right now, learning, growing, discovering, and serving.

Some days it's easier than others...

Stained glass window in the church where my grandparents were married.