His name is Sarge. Every morning he greets me on the porch. There is something comforting about this friendly brown lab with the stubby tail and the lolling tongue. Mom's front porch, overlooking the fields with a 180 degree view that goes for miles, has been a a safe place for me for 35 years. A place to breathe and think and pray. And even with Mom Hildebrand gone now (and me missing her very much) it still is that comforting place .
While I sit on the porch I'm thinking about the month we've been back in the U.S. The busyness of it , yes, but also just the familiarity of everything. The grocery store always has what I'm looking for, the nearby park with green grass and green trees to take walks in the early morning cool air, highways that go for miles and miles and bring you home, radio stations, movies, family, friends, fresh breezes, and resounding thunderstorms. I've been taking it all in this month.
Future plans are still fuzzy but these weeks in Texas and Kansas have me feeling less fragile and vulnerable. God knows what is next...so I'll keep,praying, enjoying our family and friends, and periodically petting Sarge on the front porch.
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| On the way to Kansas. Can you say, "Kids in a Candy Store?" |
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| Sallie, Katie, her boyfriend, Rem, Robert and Lindsey after a great meal in Hudson, Kansas |
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| Sunning by the Sandpit with an interesting audience..... |
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| Laughter, S'mores and the 4 th of July with family. Nothing beats it. |
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| Sallie and Robert setting up some explosives. |
