I recently arrived back home feeling completely joyful
For those who missed the prior update, I traveled to Montana to see my family. Over the 12 days I was away, 6 were spent traveling, including a flight. Montana is truly a vast state, much more than just "Big Sky Country." The distance between my sister's residence and our other relatives is 13 hours of driving. The highlight was spending every day with my sister Becky; we never exhausted our conversation despite the long hours. I once slept in the back seat, losing 2 hours, but we soon picked up our other sister, who kept the wonderful discussion flowing. It was incredibly enjoyable!
My sisters are Becky on the left and Susan
My time in Montana involved reconnecting with friends and family, meeting fiancés, seeing new babies, enjoying coffee chats, and having Tastee Hut burgers. The expansive, blue Montana sky presented breathtaking sunsets every evening Returning to the home where I spent my formative years was deeply meaningful. This house recently turned 100 years old, and my sister-in-law decorated it splendidly. It holds so many fond recollections for me, and my 3 days there only added to them… One afternoon, we reviewed Mom’s recipe files, planning a future book, and shared numerous "remember when" stories, accompanied by much laughter… Can I mention that the temperature exceeded 100 degrees while we were there? Truly, I am eternally grateful for the inventor of air conditioning… Since I cannot capture all the memories (and 283 photos) in this single post, I will share more details in subsequent updates, concluding tonight with my most cherished memory… The primary purpose of this trip was a special person—Mom. We managed to visit her at her current residence. Despite dementia limiting her speech, her embraces were treasured and her laughter remained beautiful. To be honest, while I prepared for the natural decline associated with the illness, it was still deeply sorrowful, and recalling seeing her brings tears to my eyes. Yet, I could meet her gaze and tell her, “I love you, Mom” and for me, that moment was the most priceless of all…
