Back Roads Therapy

I caught myself reminiscing in a very big way on Saturday evening. First we attended a retirement party (which is salt in an already big wound. While Saturday’s party was for someone who worked with my husband, today I saw my former work peeps and it hurts my heart that I am no longer part of them; I am, but it isn’t the same), then we took the long way home for three reasons.

1. We wanted to see our magical mountain.

This is another view of magnificent Mt. Hood, and it took my breath away. When we stopped, I felt the tug on my heart because for the first eight years of our marriage, we lived just down the street from this lookout point. Just down the street.

We had no idea, of course, that these gorgeous flowers would be there to greet us. It was 8:30 p.m.; as the sun said goodnight, a peaceful orange hue emerged.

I was bowled over with the beauty of the place, kept hoping the other visitors wouldn’t call 911 when they saw a sniveling lady suffering an apparent breakdown from simply looking at the view. I heard no sirens so either I hid it well or we left before they arrived.

Meet our beautiful Sandy River. I used to drive this road every week into nearby Sandy to grocery shop; I drove right by this same viewpoint. Did I ever stop with my camera? Not once. Why? I have no clue (although having three small children in those years may have affected my behavior).

I could not get enough of these flowers (we keep forgetting to look them up to see what they are, so if anyone knows, please chime in).

2. We wanted to see “home.” This is where my husband lived when we became engaged. It’s where we lived when each of the children joined the family. I can see the front patio where the children had their first swimming pool, the plastic type. I see chubby little legs running all over this front yard. I recall the area by the garden where I parked my second born son in his baby chair while I weeded out front.

The husband built this house, planted this garden space, and all the trees along the driveway. This is the driveway that brought each of our children home for the very first time. It’s the driveway where our oldest son learned to ride his bike. The room to the right is the living room, where we put our first Christmas tree. I can see the front yard BBQ parties, gatherings with friends on summer nights, and I hear the laughter.

Much is the same and there are changes. How could it ever not be home?

3. There are some darned good milkshakes along this back road.

While life changes can be difficult, and while we know they are passages we must navigate our way through, the thorns can be blunted with beauty, remembering the good times, and a darned good milkshake. Sometimes it’s as simple as taking the back road home.