Many a Long and Lonesome Highway

Many a long and lonesome highway lies before us as we go
In the end I'll do it my way, look for me where the four winds blow
- Rodney Crowell

This has been an incredibly hard couple of months. I've had the weight of the world on my shoulders trying to find a new building for my school and serious doubts whether or not it's going to happen. If it doesn't, there are 40 people without a job and 350 kids without a school. It keeps me awake at night, I've lost weight, and heaven knows I work way too many hours. The support I wish I had from certain people isn't there, and I've been a wreck. On top of it all, I've gone back to school for my superintendent's license, and my daughter has been overseas for several months. My stress has been sky-high. And for the first time since my school opened, for the first time in four years, I took a vacation. I went to Brussels to visit my sister and her family, and then on to Dublin to see my daughter.

It did me a world of good to spend time at my sister's. Not only to spend time with her, but also to spend time with my nieces and nephews. I absolutely love teenagers! I love their energy and their honesty. While we were there, I asked Becca to act as tour guide and she showed me some beautiful buildings - not even knowing how much I love architecture. The next day, Ben and I tried our luck getting around the city without Becca's help, perfectly willing to get lost in the process of finding waffles. And in the evening we ate, and laughed, and watched TV, and laughed, and talked, and laughed a lot. All very good.

Becca will be graduating this spring, and says she wants to come back to the States to go to college. We don't see each other that often as it is; hopefully our paths will still cross occasionally and we'll see each other on holidays or other family events. I'm looking forward to seeing the adult she will become because I believe right now she carefully guards who she is. And that in the coming years, as she comes into her own, we will all be the better for knowing her because she is a person of incredible depth. This song is for her.

I believe in love and danger
I believe that truth is stranger
I believe that fear is much too strong
I believe the best will find me when I leave the rest behind me

Many a long and lonesome highway lies before us as we go
In the end I'll do it my way, look for me where the four winds blow