Ok, Yesterday in my travels on my Bike, as I was praying for my al-anon family I also made a HUGE Step back to ME :)

When we left here on our bikes we really didn't know were we were heading, just the oppisite direction of the rain :) 99.9% of the time, my husband will ALWAYS ask... Were to You want to go.. and I ALWAYS reply.. "don't matter, What ever you think"... Co-depentant I am :) well once we got up that mountain, about 50 miles into our trip. We stopped and got a bite to eat, "Still no idea were we were headed".. I told him of my prayers for all of you, and how I "Finally" wanted to deside...What "I" wanted to do... ;) He smiled like "About dang time"... We have been together for 13 years...And it was a FIRST...

I told him that i wanted to find a place that my grandparents had taking me, some 20+ years ago, when I was a small child... He was game and I think as excited as I was...

It had been soooo long ago, I had no idea if I could even find the place but knew in my heart... I had too.. For coming up that mountain, I realized ALOT of things about myself.. The one thing in this world that I ALWAYS wanted was to Feel the way I felt when I was there at that place with my grandparents... Don't get me wrong... My Grandparents (Afathers parents) were A's.... both of them... But the time we got together was never stressful or unkind... My agrandpa was a grouch, but i thought that was normal :)

Any way... my family had sold the place when my grandpa past in 88...SO I haven't been back since... Didn't know who owned it, just knew that HP wanted me to be there... One last time...Well once we got back on the road, and the closer we got to were I was leading us (Again I never lead, another step for me :) the butterflies in my belly were so loud i think they sounds like a radio... when I came down one mountain I knew I was close...And there on the corner was the corner store, that we had went to ALL the time... Still the same after all those years.. Well I pulled in and my husband is looking like "Is this it?"... I told him I had to see something.. I walked in, and walked back to the very spot 20 some years ago, and found my favorite... Cherry Soda in a bottle... lol... I know... Funny but brought tears to my eyes for you can't find that soda anywere around my town or area, and I don't even like soda now..lol.. but I had to have one, and it was the best one I think I ever had :) We shared it, and I could feel the knot in my stomach coming back I knew I had to get back on the road....

We drove for a while, and everything was differant...And it was like looking for a needle in a hay stack.. One tiny dirt road in a mountain of many...Well we head down what I thought was the place.. And well, it ended up being someones old gravel driveway, and the man was on the porch chat'n on his phone just a waving hi...lol... So we turned our bikes around at the end of his drive way, and I felt the disappointment in my heart, I didn't think I could ever find it... "I don't carry much faith in myself very often" (i'm Get'n better tho)...

So as we pulled out of that one.. The very next lane hit me like a ton of bricks...I felt it.. It was the one... My Husband sat up on the highway till I was sure, because it isn't easy turning Harley's around on a narrow gravel road..lol..So I flagged him down...

It was funny because as i traveled down that road, I could feel the serenity coming into me, like I was 10 years old again, and I was heading home...

When I got to the end of the lane, which seemed like forever... I pulled off to the side in the grass...A little ways back from the drive, and parked took a deep breathe, and walked tords the old cabin.. On the walk way was a choc lab.. didn't know if it was friendly or not, but the husband talked to the dog, while I walked on up the old steps to the place I grew up... I knocked on the door and this very nice lady come out looking a bit confused...

I interduced myself, and explained that I grew up on this property with my grandparents some 20+ year ago, during the summers ...and the lady grabbed me by the arm and drug me inside, I fought the tears for it was just as I remembered... the smell, the walls, all just as I remembered.. The only differance they made in its appearace was they put ceiling in, to were it was all open beams, but the same beautiful stone fire I sat in front of many times laying on a rug with the dogs...They walked me in and out of every room telling me of all things. The same old windows you have to use a pulley to open, the same tin ownings over the windows, that I had layed and listen to the rain from many times in my childhood.. It was all so surreal to me, to have such an honor to be in that very place...

They took me out to the screened in porch and ask of my memory's that I had, and we shared some laughs, and me some tears, for it just ment so much to me...I ask if it was ok that I walk around and the wife was ever so happy to have me do so... She says, "Take your time dear!" and i did... I walked around with tears running down my face, while my husband spoke to them along the old crick I remember so fondly.. Just as my grandparents use to do... I walked on top of the ole stone wall, just like I was 10 years old, flying like an airplane...lol... I am sure they got a kick out of it as well, for I just felt the need...

As we spent probably 45 mintues with these two complete strangers, and their dog Brandy, it was a time I will never forget... They showed me such hospitallity and didn't even know me..They walked me into the old screened in bar-bq pit were I would sit on the brick floor and play for hours listen to the crick run by right beside me..What a blessing I had for just that short amount of time...

As I was getting ready to leave (Which I truly did not want to do), the wife comes to me and ask me to walk back into the cabin with her... As we walk in to the kitchen I happen to look up, and there is this old set of crocks that looked just like the ones my grandma had made, some 35 years ago... She looked at me and got out a step stool and ask me if they looked formiliar to me, and I smiled, and said yes... She got one down and handed it to me, and said here.. This came out of the building we removed last year, and I think it would be a good reminder too you of what you had here.. Well the tears kept rolling and I hugged her and thanked her I think 100 times over...

As I was walking away, she calls to me and says..."tell your grandma, that this place still holds much love"... I thanked her again, walked back to my bike, and carefully packed my crock... And headed out...

But when I left, I did not feel empty... I felt complete...For now I know what it is that I have been searching for my hole life... The peace and serenity that i felt at that place, so many years before... It was a life changing day, and I am so grateful my HP made me speak up, and say "What I wanted to do that Day"... Who knew I would find my voice, who knew something so simple could mean so much, who knew the kindness of those strangers, could bring such a peace to my life... I have ask God to Bless them the rest of their years, and tho they have invited me back anytime..I think it was just what I needed to get ME back on track...

Thanks so much for listening... I know Mine are always long, but I just never seems to run out of words:) Love and Prayers to you all for helping me on this journey... With out you all I don't know were I would be :) Hope you all kind a piece of the peace that I found in your own lives... True blessing from God...

Love & Prayers
Jozie