A Road Trip of Gratitude - The Sacred Simplicity of Being Present

This past weekend (the second weekend in November, at the time of this writing), my youngest daughter and I took a road trip to a small town in Arkansas for a baby shower. Yep! One of her close friends is expecting her first child. Too exciting! We’ll call the expectant couple, Macy and James.

I went “along for the ride” (a late-in-the-game decision) because I know Macy, had met her mom once, and was super excited to just BE. 😎

The Saturday morning drive itself set the tone for the weekend…adventure. Winding roads wrapped in the season’s color palette of beauty…the hills of the Ozarks and Arkansas looking like something straight from a Bob Ross painting. Every once in a while, when we’d hit a winding patch of road, my daughter would yell, “Welcome to the Texas Motor Speedway!” We lived in Texas for yaaaars, not too far from the Speedway. LOL

We were in “no rush” zone, and ready to enjoy her people.

During most of the ride, we listened to her playlists (she’s 32, I’m… not 32 😄). But, she knows me…she just picked the songs she loved, that she thought I might. She wasn’t wrong!

We sang, laughed, and air-drummed rhythms. And in between times of being silly…we shared some good, heart-level conversations about family, faith, friends, and the future.

In planning the trip, I packed us a lunch (and some snacks). So, we stopped at a cool half-way point in Bentonville, Airship Coffee, to sit outside and enjoy it.

LOTS of cyclists in that area, for sure. In fact, there was a house next door to the coffee shop, that had a few men walking around an SUV, looking in and around it, and…checking the SIX bikes hanging vertically on the back of it! SIX…HANGING VERTICALLY.

I have SO never seen anything like that before. LOL Amazing. (Sorry, I wasn’t able to snap a pic of that!)

Another thing we planned, was a good walk. So, after eating, we got in 2 miles around the square before hitting the road again. The weather was perfect!

By the time we arrived, the weekend already felt full, and we were ready to go with the flow.

At Macy and James' home, we were welcomed with a basket of goodies on our bed! I mean...sure, we were "guests" but...we were there to celebrate them and the coming arrival of their precious little boy. Just so very sweet.

Saturday evening, a “soup” dinner (three choices, actually) was ready for everyone at Macy’s parent’s home. It totally hit the spot. (I tried two of them. 😋 YUM). And it allowed me to meet the rest of Macy’s family, and a few of the close friends who had come in town for the shower.

The baby shower on Sunday was simple and perfect…filled with more connections, conversations, and lots of laughter.

What really touched my heart, was when one sister-n-law (the host home) invited everyone to gather around Macy for prayer, near the end of the shower. She led the prayer, and Macy’s mom closed it out. We prayed over Macy, her baby, and her husband. This new beginning. They prayed for this season of life, and much gratitude for all. It was tender, strong, and Spirit-led. You could feel love and legacy in the room, and it stirred up some memories of my own.

I watched my daughter throughout the day…her ease in conversation, her laughter, her joy for others, and that also stirred something in me. She’s been to more weddings, baby showers, and birthday parties than I can count. She’s watched so many of her friends move through those life stages...she’s still believing for.

But instead of bitterness or comparison, she celebrates fully...even through tears. She shows up, gives, and loves with her whole heart...even with questions.

It all looks different now, as she's continuing in her 3rd decade of life. And watching her do that, I thought...this is what maturity and peace look like. This is what trust in the midst of sadness looks like. It's deep.

Monday morning, several of us had breakfast at Macy’s parent’s home. Again…great conversations, and sharing about having babies, and watching our lives change. So much change.

After many hugs, and talks about hope for everyone’s future…we headed home.

Somewhere between the festivities, good food, laughter, prayers, and the time on the road…I was reminded again, of how quickly time goes by. How easily life slips from one season to the next. And yet…how anchored it all feels when you live with gratitude.

It can set the tone from your past…for your future. A connection. A bridge. You choose to cross it strong.

We can’t slow time, but we can savor it.

And we did. We ate well, laughed much, kept our habits and rituals…our walks, our quiet times, our little rhythms we’ve created for ourselves. LOL

It reminded me: when we know how to be, we know how to do.

The weekend really was a bridge for us…connecting seasons, memories, and reminders of God’s goodness and faithfulness.

The changing leaves signified the shifting seasons in our own lives. My daughter has just stepped into a new job (back into ministry), and my business is taking me back to some roots of my own. And I feel the same steady assurance I always do: we’re both growing, walking, and becoming who we’re meant to be…together, and individually.

I came home with that deep, settled peace about my daughter that speaks to my heart, “We’re good. She’s good. I’m good. God is good.”

We didn’t need an exotic destination or grand adventure. Just a few hundred miles on a winding, hilly road framed with the beauty God created for us. Just a shared playlist that invited us to sing along, and play our rhythms in the air. Just a weekend of connection together...and with others. Legacy. Simple.

It reminded me that life’s sweetest bridges are often built in the simple…those sacred moments we choose to be present in…and cross.

Sometimes alone. Sometimes with family. Sometimes with friends. Always with God.

I closed out the long weekend with this feeling in my spirit for it all...for everyone, …

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

Keep walking.

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I'll meet you on the bridge!

Deni