We’re back, my friend Cindy and me, from our mad dash out west. The days were a blur of activity from the minute we left Thursday afternoon until we arrived back shortly after midnight today. Other than the 22 hours spent sleeping and 20 more spent sleeping, we:
- visited my cousin Mary on the way to and back from Harding County.
- attended the Sky Ranch for Boys 50th Anniversary Celebration, where I saw lots of old friends co-workers, and Cindy became acquainted with them.
- went to a ranch auction where I chatted with former students and their parents and introduced them to Cindy.
- bought unexpected treasures at the auction, which I may or may not describe in a later blog post, depending on how much of my sentimental and/or compulsive streak I’m prepared to reveal.
- conducted 1 book signing, 1 book reading and signing, which resulted in a case of books sold.
- stayed with dear friends, Gerald and Becky, and hiked to the top of the butte on their ranch.
- saw wild turkeys, antelope, turkey vultures, and deer dotting the landscape.
- visited a blue streak with Gerald, Becky and their daughter Natalie, played with Natalie’s two little boys, and cuddled her baby daughter. Cindy also made friends with the two dogs and the cats on the ranch.
- stopped in to visit other old friends and introduced them to Cindy.
- made a new author friend.
- went to church in Camp Crook where Cindy played the piano for the service. The congregants threatened to tie her up and keep her there.
- received an arrowhead from an elderly man who wanted me to take home a piece of Harding County.
This morning, though I’m stupid with sleepiness, I am also keenly aware of two undeserved and gracious blessings. The first is the blessing of a good friend who jumped in the middle of my ocean, teaming with my friends and family and old memories, and gave up her weekend to help with the long drive, the book sales and whatever else needed doing. Good friends are treasured gems and Cindy is a jewel among them.
The second is the blessing of the 7 years Hiram and I spent in Harding County after we graduated from college. That cowboy country was a foreign land to us, a place where God tested us through our work and the birth of our son, a place where He engineered relationships that have endured for 25 years and sustain us still.
After a weekend of hugging former students, friends, and colleagues, after hours of sharing old memories and creating new ones, after hearing about the life journeys of the people in the remote northwest corner of South Dakota, I came home with not one, but two pieces of Harding County. One is the perfect, ancient arrowhead displayed in my Iowa living room. The other is a well of memories and precious memories tucked in the center of my heart.
I am a woman truly blessed.
