~for the places and the people that I have left behind~as we hold hands tightly and stick together~

I can always remember back in our mountain home in Montrose, Colorado how lonely at times I felt and how much I missed my dear friends and family back on the prairies of south-central Kansas.  A good friend back there could sense my sadness and often times would message me saying~

"Go outside Peggy and look at the moon.  It's beautiful tonight.  The moon that you see is the same one that I do.  We're not so far apart after all."

And you know what?  That good friend was so right.

Lately we have been seeing some gorgeous photos of the first snowfall on the San Juan Mountains.  A dear friend sent us the pictures and told me that she was thinking of me as she saw them.  I used to think that the mountains made me feel as if they would swallow me up.  Now that I have been away from them for nearly half of a year, I look at them with different eyes and a bit of sadness in my heart.  I kind of miss those mountains and I most certainly miss all of the dear and precious people we had to leave behind.

In these last few days before I reach that great age of 60, I have tried to stop and remember all of the people that have had such a great effect upon the life of a small town Kansas farm girl.  Just like you, people have come into and gone out of my life at just the right moments of time.  They have helped to shape me into the person that I have now become.  From Haven, Kansas onward, I've had some mighty fine experiences.  Those wonderful experiences plus a whole lot of time being laid upon God's mighty anvil have defined me.  Since life is not over just yet for me, I'm sure that there will be plenty of others to come in the future.

The past few days around here, we seem to have had our share of "when it rains, it pours" kind of moments.  They call it "life" I suppose.  Sometimes when we are overwhelmed with things, it seems to be wise to stop and remember each and every blessing that is ours to have.  And so if you are reading this, may I say "thank you"?  May I tell you just how much it has meant to me that we are friends?  

Mike and I have made our new home along the Red River here in northern Texas.  We came over 800 miles from our former home back in southwestern Colorado and we did so in faith that everything would work out just fine.  At first, there was no house to live in, no friends to call our own, and not a job between the two of us.  God took care of us and worked that all out.  So no matter what lies ahead, we plan to do one thing.

We will hold hands tightly and stick together.

in Colorado

in Kansas

in Texas