Dusty Roads to the Heart

It was early September. The sun was bright in the dark blue sky, not a cloud in sight. I was mowing the lawn, and Mark had went to town for an appointment. Kate was staying after school for cross country practice. Life was good! I was making a turn in the west brome patch when I looked up and saw five boys running past. I stopped the mower and went to stand beside the gravel road. Soon here came five girls, and I quickly spotted our Kate! Their pony tails flying in the breeze. Their arms bent at the elbow. Their feet hitting the ground in rhythm. Once in a while, I heard a word or two come from them in short breaths; otherwise, all that could be heard was their feet hitting the gravel. On they went past our mailbox, across the little bridge and on up the hill and out of sight. I waited for a bit longer and another group came. They kept coming until I thought there was no more. I took one more look to the west and up on the top of the hill I spotted a single figure. I waited for him t...

The day dawned bright and beautiful. It was the last of August and Kate was off to her first day of high school. Bret was working his last week at K-Mart. This Saturday we were all going to set up his dorm room that would be home to him for the next year. Yes I should have been a happy camper. The day was warm and perfect but my heart had this heaviness inside. Our first child was soon leaving the nest. Life would forever be different for us all. My apron strings were just about to be cut. Somehow my heart would have to be divided between two homes. Two homes that were two hours apart. I could do this. I would do this. I was a mother after all. So we just went through the week a bit in a daze. It seemed that even Bret was feeling the sting of leaving the farm behind. Maybe it was that he was excited to start life in his new world too. I couldn't really read him. Bret was Bret. I knew Kate would miss him and I felt sorry for her. Maybe I felt more sorry for her than myself. Th...

"Are you sure you feel like traveling?" Mark asked his mom as she stood by the car as dad put the overnight bags into the back seat. "Yes I'll be okay. We will just go straight home." The poor little lady. Her whole hand except a couple fingers were bandaged in white and secured to her waist with a sling. Mark helped her into the car and shut the door. Dad said his good-byes over the top of the hood and then slipped into the driver's seat. "I wonder if those poor folks will ever come back here after these last two trips?" "Oh I'm sure they will. It is just the pits that they have had such bad luck within the last few weeks!" Mark said raising his hand to wave as dad drove out the drive and headed west. First it was the deer accident that left them without their car for a couple months. Then when they arrived on the bus to pick it up, Mom's thumb was all red and swollen and red streaks were running up the arm. Wh...

My dear Grandchildren, It has been some time now since I have wrote you a letter. Grandpa just left to cut trees out of a pasture over south, and I just walked by the 8 x 10 pictures of your little faces, and my heart became homesick. So I decided to set down and write to you. This morning I want to tell you about a really important lesson Grandpa has taught me in our forty three years of farming side by side. I love your Grandpa very much. I'm sure you have heard me say "I love you" to him many times. I'm sure you know that he means the world to me, but I'm not sure you really know why, so I want to tell you a story to explain "why". Your Grandpa is one of the gentlest men that I know. Not only was he gentle with your mommy and daddy and me, but he is gentle with you kids and he is gentle with his animals. It was by watching him deal with his cows and pigs for years that has taught me the worthwhileness of overcoming my rough human nature and beco...

"Let's see...the cake is ordered and ready for pick up tomorrow afternoon. The house cleaned and bed sheets washed and beds made up." I was going through my list of things that had to be done and ready for Kate's big day tomorrow. Our daughter was going to graduate from eighth grade! I couldn't believe it. She would be in high school next year and...yes, Bret in college! Well I had to face the facts...they were growing up. We were going to have to let them fly away from the nest. They would take a piece of our hearts with them for sure, but life was like that. All full of changes. "Hello," I said into the phone resting on my shoulder as I removed the corn bread from the oven. "This is dad. We are in a bit of trouble." "What happened anyway? We have been wondering where you were!" "Well, we are about 25 miles west on Interstate and we hit a deer. We can't move any further so I guess you will have to come after us....