FINALLY HOME

How long had it been? Staring intently out her rain glistened window,
she allowed herself to travel back in time. Gently her eyes shut as she
drifted through memories and events which had taken place during her
seventy-three years of life. It seemed only yesterday that she vainly and
unreasonably ventured away from the mountain in search of what she then
thought “a better way of life.” How foolishly she had flounced off to New
York seeking fame and fortune the leaders of all sin. Pride is an evil thing.
How well she knew that now. Without even a goodbye to her parents and
friends she left them all and everything she had ever known behind. I’ll
never look back she had so earnestly thought. Only after seven unmerciful
years of begging for work from cold and sneering business owners and
breathing the smothering city air was she ready to admit her absurdity and
ludicrousness. In those seven years she had traveled a bit as well but was
unsuccessful in finding work and never could seem to find somewhere
to call home. Home…there never was a more comforting word. The last
letter she received from her family lay unanswered even though it arrived a
week after her departure. Now she desperately longed and desired to
reply…but would there be anyone to answer? Would they even want to see
her? Her heart now longed to see her momma’s sweet face and the strong
figure of her father. It was settled then. She would go back. When the bus
arrived at the small general store back on the mountain she frantically ran
home. The two story house her great-grandfather had built with his own two
hands looked the same as when she had left ,only it had a sort of sadness
now. Painfully she wrapped on the door. A figure much feebler than she
remembered appeared and opened the door. It was her momma. Weeping she
fell into her mother’s arms. Her mother softly caressed her as tears
fell from her own soft round face onto her daughters smooth auburn hair. So
much was said in this long embrace. She later found that her father had
passed away shortly after she left. They stayed up late talking together and
she sincerely and constantly apologized to her beloved momma. All was
forgiven though precious time that could have been spent together was
wasted by her foolishness. Her heart ached for the lost time but hopefully
things would be different for she was home to stay.
Arousing herself from her memories she noticed it had stopped raining.
She walked out into her garden and smelled the fresh clean mountain air the
rain leaves after a fall storm. Still thinking of her pastime she slowly
meandered down the mountain path. As the leaves swirled softly and
enchantingly about her in the gentle breeze she gazed off through the
silhouettes of the great pines onto the meadow below blooming full of
mountain laurel that glistened in the newly fallen rain and with the
comforting majestic mountains that gave her strength beyond she realized
that ..she was home…this was home ….she had finally found home.

~Written by Kat!!!

THE COMING OF DAWN

“Undoubtedly, there will be times in your life of desolate sadness and fatigue, which you must endure. It’s never certain of when they will strike, but inevitably they will come sooner or later. A person dying is heartbreaking. Simply knowing, that you will never see them again on this earth, is absolutely depressing. To die and part is a less evil; but to part and live, there is the torment.” Wrote Richard Gilmore onto a blank piece of paper.
Getting up, he slowly set down his pen and gazed out the window into the star filled sky. While writing this eulogy was hard, it was even harder to think of whom he was writing it for. He would never see her again. For years they had something, something no one else had. It was love. A true love, that in spite of the recession, and in spite of their faults, they found a way to stay as in love as they were the very day they had met 54 years ago. Frankly, he couldn’t believe it. His precious Emily was gone and without a final goodbye. Although he knew it would happen sooner or later, why now? Without a doubt, he was depressed. Honestly, it seemed as if his whole life had been swept away with her passing. Now, what was there to look forward to? Who would make him smile? Who would be there with him, through sickness and health? To all these questions, came the same dismal answer: no one. Sadly, he had no one in this universe that would comfort him and take care of him, the way she had.
Startled by this for a moment, he got up and looked over the first few lines of his eulogy again. After quickly reading through it, he decided that Emily would have wanted a less depressing tribute to remember her blissful spirit by. He picked up the dusty black and white picture of her sitting on his old mahogany desk. She was beautiful. Nothing he could compose could ever even begin to explain her magnificence. Sitting back down to write again, Richard grabbed his old Waterford pen which Emily had given him in college. He rolled it between his fingers as he thought of the day she had given it to him, coincidentally being the day he had planned to propose to her. Remembering the look on her face when he had got down on his knee, a tear rolled down his cold cheek and fell upon the ink on his paper, smearing it. Quietly, the old hound dog got up and laid his head in Richard’s lap. He stroked the dog’s ears, as a quote crossed his mind:
“You don’t realize how much you appreciate someone, till the moment they’re gone.”
From the time they first met at the high school dance, to the last time he saw her pretty face, it was all amazing. His life with her had been truly remarkable. Every moment he had spent with her was like a dream. While the sadness of it all was sincerely unbearable, at least he could say one thing: He wouldn’t go back and change anything about their life together. It was all perfect. A strong word though, isn’t it? Absolutely perfect; like the swans floating across the lake, the breathtaking stars in the massive sky, or the lilies growing in the deep green meadows. He was happy with everything he had done and planned to stay content with that till the day he passed on and would see her yet again in the most perfect place of all, which was heaven. Just as these thoughts were leaving his mind, the warm sun peaked out just above the hazy lavender mountains. Staring into it, Richard forgot everything and even the old dog raised his head to see it. This was it; this, was the kind of perfect he was imagining. Just like her. Suddenly, he picked up his pen, and started writing. Somewhat of a sparkle had come into his grey eyes though. After some ten minutes, he read aloud:
“ There will be times in your life of desolate sadness and fatigue. It’s never certain of when they will strike, but inevitably they will come sooner or later. In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live, but how you live and who you live for. Through every storm in life, you must always look for the coming of dawn.”

~BY MY BEST FRIEND!!

PRAYER STILL NEEDED!!

No other leads have developed and sadly it doesn't look like there will be anymore. KEEP PRAYING! THERE IS STILL HOPE WHEN JESUS IS INVOLVED!!

The rain just keeps coming! We did have a break though I believe on Tuesday.I haven't been able to ride at all!!! It's so frustrating. Also on Tuesday I had a piano lesson as well as the first 4-h meeting of the year!! It was awesome! We had an ice cream party!!! Mac should be on her way home now.I'm sure she will be posting pics when she's back home!!! Oh by the way I wrote an awesome story I'll be posting shortly. I'll also post one my best friend wrote as well! Her story is soooooo awesome!!

~Kat