As I packed for this trip, I thought about how many times in my life, I have boarded an airplane with only two suitcases, to head off on an adventure. Two suitcases accompanied me each time I traveled to and from college during the holidays and in the summer time. Two suitcases were carefully packed with all the requested items as I headed to North Carolina to serve an 18 month mission for the church. As I left for my year long educational adventure in Zimbabwe, two suitcases were jammed full of all the American necessities that I feared I would not have access to in that far away land. (as well as a several carry on bags, including my trombone which was cleverly filled with tampons to maximize the available space). And on the return trip, those same bags were packed with valuable African curios many of which I had traded my belongings to acquire. And now to bring us to the present, my boys and I packed two suitcases for this trip to Utah containing the basic clothing and belongings we anticipated needing while we were here. In the 14 years of my marriage, I have been blessed to visit my family (in Utah or California) at least once every year, and for that I am very thankful. Each time I pack for those trips, I am a little different person than I was the time before. The things I put in my suitcase are much less important than the “spiritual possessions” and “emotional baggage” that I carry with me through this journey of mortality. I find that when I travel it serves as a time of reflection. As I am away from my every day life, I can focus on where I am in my journey of life and how I hope to improve myself. Ulitmately, the consistent theme that I ponder is what God has done in my life as he has given me strength to endure the trials, lifted me up when I was weak, and taught me the valuable lessons He had in mind for me that would later serve as a source of strength for me as I continue on through my life. “…for ye have not come thus far, save it were by the Word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly on the power of He who is mighty to save.” (2 Nephi 31)
Before sitting down to write this, I looked up on Google “travel quotes”. As I had suspected, there were lots of them! I chose a couple of my favorites that seemed to capture my feelings:
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy
To conclude my thoughts for this blog I have compiled a list of meaningful experiences from my current trip-
During this past two weeks in Utah:
– I have felt the exhilaration of Cougar Stadium during a victorious
football game.
– I have faced the challenge of hiking in Rock Canyon surrounded by towering rock formations.
– I have enjoyed people watching as I observed from a distance the lives of people with whom I share faith and culture, though I do not know them.
– I have thrilled in the chance to share with my boys my love for this place and for the Church which established this great state.
– I have re-connected with College Friends, Mission Friends, Africa Friends, San Jose Friends, Branson Friends as well as cousins who I love. This truly is a gathering place!
– I have spent time in the temple, pondering on the things of eternity and feeling gratitude for all that has been revealed to us in these Latter-days.
– I have strengthened bonds with my sweet parents as we have shared experiences together and reminisced about times past.
– I have been “taken care of” once again by those same loving parents, who seem to find joy in providing a roof over my head, food to eat and love to warm my heart. I love being able to visit with mom at the end of each day at the foot of her bed, just as I used to do in the days of my youth.
“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark
Thank Goodness for Eternity! 