Country Roads

I love country roads. The country roads near me soothe and rejuvenate my soul. I can see how someones heart can be tied to the land they grew up on. Earl Hamner (writer of The Waltons) always speaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with so much nostalgia and passion. So, too I feel about the Rogue River Valley of Oregon. Many times in the mid-afternoon I will take my two year old daughter on a drive through the countryside near our home. I tell her after a morning of her playing and me doing my daily chores, "OK, Mary lets go Bye-Bye!" She runs and gets her blanket and waits patiently by the door while I put on my tennis shoes and shut off the TV. I buckle her in the car seat with her soft pink blanket on her lap. I jump in the drivers seat, don my sunglasses, turn on the praise music, and head out for the country. I drive a mile square route taking us past beautiful pasture land, alfalfa fields, cherry orchards and beautiful homes set on the hillsides with deep green lawns flowing down. There are beautiful stands of oak trees and elms. Most of them follow the creeks that criss-cross this fertile valley. I love to look at the weathered barns that have been there for who knows how long and then up into the majestic deep blue sky with white puffy clouds. The setting is framed with the beautiful dark blue and purple mountains in the distance. Sometimes in the fall the clouds hang low and softly on the mountainsides like blankets or herds of sheep. My spirit is lifted as I see the mown hay fields and horses out to pasture. Right now, the trees are beginning to turn radiant colors of autumn. It makes me so happy to see the beauty of God's creation. I then look in my rear view mirror and my daughter's sweet little head, full of curls, has slumped to the side and she is hugging her blanket, fast asleep. I love seeing her sleep and hearing the praise music playing in the car. It is so wonderful to be driving through this gorgeous countryside and having her, my precious gift from the Lord, in the back seat. I give a big sigh... all is well with my soul!