Long Lost Friends under the Big Sky

Until July, I had never been to Montana.  We have friends, Hilarie and Craig, who have lived there for at least 22 years and every year in their annual Christmas card they have invited us to visit, and every year we have said, "some day".  Well, that day came!  We knew once we began this road trip that Montana had to be on the list!  We contacted our friends, whom we have not seen in over 25 years, and said, "remember that invitation to visit?  Is it still open?"  and they replied with an emphatic, "yes!".  We were going to Montana!

Montana is beautiful and the Big Sky moniker is appropriate!  Driving from South Dakota into Montana and all the way to Bozeman is a mesmerizing drive along I-90.  It still amuses me that after spending most of my life living along the I-10 corridor that I am seeing its northern, less populated, more beautiful (in my opinion) equivalent up close and personal.  I continue to be amazed at the vast amount of land in our country and its varied landscapes.  We have also been blessed with abundant blue skies as a backdrop.  As a person who would rather sit in a crowded, germ infested airplane than take a long road trip, this venture has certainly surprised me.  Yes, there have been days that I feel road weary and my backside is numb from all of the sitting but on a whole the beauty outside the windshield has completely distracted me!

Beautiful windshield time

I can't tell you how many times we have said, "how far do you think that is?"
Heading to the mountains!

If you have not seen someone in over 20 years there is bound to be a bit of  uncertainty heading into a visit.  How have they changed...how have we changed, will this be awkward...will we still like each other?  Hilarie and I met back in college before we even knew our current spouses.  We worked together at a department store in Baton Rouge.  When we met our husbands-to-be, they also became friends and the rest is history.  You know those cute quotes that say a real friend is one you can go ages without seeing and pick up like it was yesterday?  It is true!  We were all back in our 20's, fresh out of college and newly married again!  I sat in amazement, they had not changed and I am sure neither have we.  I thought to myself, " Wow!  Our 20 year old selves sure did have good taste when it came to making friends".  After the obligatory catching up on our kids, careers, moves, parents, and siblings we relived old memories and made a few new ones.  We have promised not to wait another 20 years before we see each other again.

As luck would have it Bozeman, MT also happens to be the home of Marathon Girl and her family.  She recently had her 3rd child and her parents, our very good friends, Bob and Donna, of anniversary trip fame, were there to help with the growing family.  We were able to meet the new little baby boy, share some delicious pizza (outside and from a "safe" distance) and see where the Marathon family lives.  They have a great house with that big Montana sky as a backdrop.  

Getting 5 people to look in one direction and smile at the same time
proved to be a challenge but still pretty cute with a little help!

One special night in Bozeman was spent having dinner at Hilarie and Craig's house with Bob and Donna as special guests.  The night proved that we definitely have great taste in friends!  Aside from the good food and the stunning big sky, the company was the best!  We sat outside, ate, drank, shared stories of times spent together, marveled at the sky and laughed until it was too late.  It turns out all three couples were married in 1978 within 7 weeks of each other.  We are all still married!  The summer of '78 was a good year for marriage.  I hope you too are able to make lasting friendships like these, they are priceless.  

And be careful about inviting us to visit....we may just take you up on it!

Some of the many colors of the Big Sky 
taken in our friend's back yard!

Socially distant photo

Not so distant photo...we held our breath!

We watched a storm come and go!

I think we found the pot of gold here.

The Best Photo I Never Took

warning...religious content

The best photo I never took would have required technology that does not exist yet.  If there were technology that could convey love, peace, passion, joy, contentment, awe, spirit, faith, and talent then I would have taken that photo yesterday and you would be moved to tears just like I was.  In that photo would be our family with grandparents, parents and children at Easter Mass.  We sat very close to the choir, the same choir my daughter sang in for many years until balancing work, babies and life ate up choir practice and performance time....for now.  The song being sung during the offertory was Because He Lives... close your eyes and listen peacefully, it is beautiful!

The best photo I never took happened as I watched my daughter, cradle her daughter who was asleep in her arms, as she sang every beautiful word of that song.  She was next to her husband who was holding their son, who was exhibiting his best church behavior (thank you Holy Spirit!), and surrounded by their families.  My daughter loves to sing!  She has an amazing voice and had sung that song many times as a choir member.  The peace and sheer pleasure on her face as she sang and rocked her soon to be baptized daughter brought both my husband and I to tears.  Watching her do something that brings her such joy is like watching an artist at work.  It was the best photo I never took and will be forever etched in my memory as one of the most beautiful moments of this life. 

And it all happened... because He lives. 
Happy Easter!

Blessings and Curses

I found this post in my archives and thought I'd finally share it with you.  It is something I wrote after a sermon I heard.  It obviously made an impression on me.  Since we have Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I might focus on things I am thankful for in my next couple of posts.  Original right?  Then I found this and thought maybe it would be a good way to get into the right frame of mind to be thankful.  I am thankful for all those who have blessed me in my life.


 Have you blessed someone today or have you cursed someone today? 

A blessing can be as simple as seeing someone and noticing them.  By sincerely paying attention to someone we bless them.  Take time to talk to someone... or even better to listen to someone, it is a blessing. You can be a blessing.   Blessings can be simple... notice someone, give them your time and your attention.  Make someone else feel loved and important.  When a parent takes the time to sit down with a child and read a book for the zillionth time instead of doing something else, it is a blessing.  When you are busy doing "important" things and you stop and take the time to really listen to someone without distraction, it is a blessing.  Blessings feed others.

Curses are not necessarily using those words....you know the ones....they look like this sometimes *#@!*.  When a person pulls out in front of you and you yell at them, curses....    When we judge others without knowing them or what is in their heart, curses.  When someone asks you to do something and you ignore them, curses.  When you tell someone to shut up when you are watching the TV, instead of listening to them, might be a curse.  When you think of yourself and your needs above all else .... curses.  Gossip....curse.  Selfish behavior to the detriment of others....curses.  Curses eat away at our soul and at the souls of others, little by little.

Next time you have a chance to be a blessing or a curse, be a blessing.  Make someone's day, and you will be blessed....and they will be thankful.