Wisconsin mountain?

The last 12 days of my sabbatical were spent on vacation in Asheville, NC.  I’m not missing the hustle and bustle of Asheville, but I am missing the Blue Ridge Mountains. I did take a couple of pictures of the mountains, but they just don’t do them justice.  One has to see them in person to truly experience how magnificent they truly are.

I saw the mountains in Tennessee and Vermont during our last two vacations. Each time I see them, they speak to my soul. I feel home. Maybe that sounds odd. But they make me feel safe, strong and protected all at the same time.

I actually had to prepare my heart for the departure from North Carolina as we got in the car last Wednesday knowing I would only see the mountains for a few more hours as we began our journey northeast again.

Late yesterday afternoon sitting at the kitchen table, I glanced out the front door and caught this view above of the clouds.  I said, “Look, John, a mountain!”  The cloud had the prettiest blue tint to it and the shape seemed to me a mountain of sorts. I was reminded that even though I couldn’t bring the mountains home to Wisconsin, I can always carry them in my heart.

I can call upon the feeling of what they did for my soul anytime I want. It also reminds me of loss too.  That even though I may not have my beloved Frankie and Joie with me any longer, I can recall the love and light they brought to my life.  That lives forever in my heart.  As will the mountains.