The road is long, with many a winding turn.

Although August 2007 was a month full of blessings, I can't say I was sad to see it go when I pulled the page off the calendar this morning. Like I said last night, it has been the hottest & driest summer on record here in Tennessee & I know a lot of farmers who are glad to see it come to an end.

Writing two days in a row is pretty good for me these days - I worked 50+ hours this week, so writing wasn't exactly my first priority when I got home.

I was reading some of my favorite blogs, & Pamela from "A Christian Home" shared a song that mentioned "skipping the book to read the final chapter," describing how we humans tend to want to view the destination as more important than the journey. That reminded me of my commute to Nashville. I thought back to the days when I worked at the VA (which is just across the street from where I park for my new job) & I made that commute five days a week, instead of four. I learned to love the journey. I hated that it took me so far away from my little ones who were preschoolers at the time, & I didn't always like being in the car for so long, but I loved the routes & alternate routes.

For one thing, once you get away from the urban sprawl, the scenery is beautiful. Even with the mostly brown grass, the hills are still verdant. With fall rapidly approaching, I have those colors to anticipate. After that season I love most comes the season I like least: when the days are so short. With my new work hours, this means I'll be making that commute in the dark both ways. We do have windows in our work area. I'll see my house in the daylight three days each week. As the days lengthen, if we get any snow, the hills will look like a Christmas card. I'll see them once the interstate is cleared for driving. Gradually, the brown branches will be covered in shades of yellowish-green, almost lime, then deeper & deeper to finally a forest green again.

Along the way there aren't a lot of places I can stop & grab the necessities of life, like milk & bread, but there are more now than there were ten years ago. Especially in Pleasant View, which has boomed since I left the VA. Back then I had to go to "The View" every day, since the kids stayed there while I was in Nashville, but now they get to & from there by bus. It's nice that I can stop there to pick up dinner if I need to, which I haven't yet, but it's nice to know it's there.

I do truly love the journey.