The Long and Winding Road

It had already been a hard week.  I was ready for this vacation to California’s wine country I’d been dreaming of taking for years, but grew increasingly concerned as things unraveled in the days leading up to the trip.  Bray and I were set to leave the house at 5 am Thursday morning in order to catch our 7 am plane into San Francisco.  To top off the week of insanity, at 2 am Thursday, little bit crawled into our bed feeling poorly and then proceeded to throw up all over us and the bed.  Poor thing kept that up for two hours.  After I’d gotten it under control and she was bathed and sleeping again, it was time for me to get ready.  By that time, I didn’t want to go.  What mom feels comfortable flying out of state with a sick kiddo curled up in bed?  But go we did, upon numerous assurances that doctors would be consulted and we would receive regular updates. 

The road through Sonoma County to the Russian River Valley and Dry Creek areas is beautiful.  But also pretty treacherous at points.  Dips and turns and bumps.  But then you’d round a corner and see this:

 

It was gorgeous.  The pace from Thursday to Sunday morning was slow.  We didn’t have cell phone reception in many places.  The weather was perfect.  The drive was spectacular.  It helped that we had a convertible all weekend and I had a cute driver:

I wrote about taking long baths, but I took long everything.  Long meals.  Not hurried by three year olds filling up the bathroom sink with water and towels.  Long sleeps.  Waking leisurely unhindered by work meetings or breakfasts needing to be made.  Winding drives and deep breaths. 

The thing is, life is no different now that I’m back.  Things that were messy are still messy and things that were sad or hard are still sad and hard.   But I am more capable of coping with them now.  I am rested.  I am restored.  I was reminded that around every hard bumpy winding road, there’s a turn when beauty is revealed.  The road is long and winding, in California wine country and in life, but there are look out points along the way that make the trip so worth it. 

I loved going, but I also loved coming home.  To real life.  To a great job and funny kids and my own breathtaking views of God’s faithfulness.