the old dreams

In early November, I had the chance to take a journey to the state of Iowa.  It was an "impromptu" decision, made with about a 48-hour turnaround, to meet up with and visit a friend from the "land of long ago and so very, very far away." Normally speaking, I'd never decide to do something like that so hastily but for some strange reason, this time I did it first and thought about it later.


The drive to get there was a long one, 365 miles and nearly 6 hours away.  To make the journey from my home here in south central Kansas, I would have to go through Kansas City traffic for the first time ever in my life.  I counted on my Onstar navigation system to literally give me turn by turn directions.  When I hit the KC city limits right at dark and rush hour "to boot", I began to question my sanity a bit.  But it was too late to turn back now and so, fingers with a "death grip" on the wheel, I began to manoeuvre my way through the traffic.  Miraculously, not even a near miss anywhere along the line.  Jokingly before I left school that afternoon, I said to a friend that I hoped God would just part the Kansas City traffic the same as He had parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites.  And you know what, I wonder if He did?  LOL  I continued on northward towards Iowa and 1,000 dead deer carcasses later, my friend and I were able to connect with one another in the small community of Osceola, Iowa.  


You know, since I don't get out a lot, it would have been plenty for me to say that I'd driven to Iowa, via Kansas City, and back without having an accident or getting lost.  It would have been plenty to have met up with my friend and had the wonderful time that we both did. But my visit to the "Hawkeye State" was going to be fondly remembered by a journey both of us would take in the morning.  I finally got to see the covered bridges of Madison County, Iowa.


Madison County is situated in south central Iowa and was originally home to 19 covered bridges scattered throughout the area.  Now only 6 remain and it was those 6 bridges that provided the backdrop for the 1995 movie, "The Bridges of Madison County".  I don't know how many of you have seen the movie but if for some reason you haven't, I'm thinking tonight would be a good time to look it up.  I had never seen it but was encouraged to watch it by one of my dear friends here in Kansas.  So this summer, I did just that and became and even bigger fan of Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.  


The journey to find the famous Roseman Bridge took us over several miles of Iowa countryside.  As we meandered down one country road, followed by another and yet another, I kind of felt like I was home in Kansas.  It was a peaceful part of the world, not a lot of traffic, not a lot of people.  The only thing that part of  Iowa wasn't short on that day was dead deer carcasses...and THEY were all over the place.  


Finally, at long last, at the intersection of Francesca Road (for Meryl Streep's character in the movie) and Roseman Bridge Road, we found it~the most beautiful covered bridge that the state of Iowa, no wait, make that the whole wide world has to offer.....The Roseman Bridge...

The Roseman Bridge was built in 1883 and sits at the original site it was made for.  In the movie, it's the bridge that Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood's character) asks directions for from Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep's character)...and if you have seen the movie, well you know where THAT all ends up going.  And if you haven't seen the movie, get a move on people....'cause you're trading daylight for dark again!  LOL


The inside walls of the bridge are covered with the "graffiti" messages that visitors have left each time they came there.  It was fun to go along and read the thoughts of all the different people who had once been there.  But there was one message in particular that caught my attention and it got me to thinking about where my own life was going.  And the message was a famous quote by Clint Eastwood's character toward the movie's end...

"The old dreams were good dreams, they just didn't work out.....But I'm glad I had them."  As I read those words that Saturday Iowa morning, I began to think about how many good dreams I had that didn't quite work out as I had planned.  Have you had any of those kinds of dreams friends? I've said many times how life's road has taken a lot of twists and turns for me.  Just when I thought I was at the right point in time for something to happen for the good, it always seemed like God had other plans for me.  Sometimes I've had to trade one dream for another or even give up the idea of a dream entirely, but it didn't stop me from dreaming.  And every bump in the road, every unplanned stopover, each ironic twist of fate just kept leading along my life's path.  After 56 years of travel, I'm still moving along, heading towards wherever it is that I'm supposed to be.  And friends, I'm still dreaming all along the way.  


I hope, dear friends of mine, that many of your dreams for this life have come true.  And for those that haven't yet, I hope you never give up hope!  Anything can happen in this life and usually does! You know I wanted to leave my own "greeting" on the bridge that morning and of all things, "this" teacher who usually carries a dozen Sharpies in her purse every day of the week, that Saturday morning had none!!   But I'm determined to return to Roseman Bridge sometime in the near future, Sharpie in hand, and leave this message.......

Have a good night's rest my friends~and always the best of dreams for each of you.  Peace.....