Today, I continue to simply celebrate the innate—albeit imperfect—goodness of life found in:

Creation. Faith. Family. Friendship. Heritage.

Repeating Monday’s reflection: “I am a septuagenarian and as such, possess a lot of “in-retrospect” memories. Some are pleasant. Others, not so much. Some have guided me in good, healthy ways. Others still result in moments of confusion, dissonance, and raise difficult questions.

As a result of these memories, I have been led to certain conclusions:

Most people possess fundamentally good but varying degrees of wounded hearts.
Despite even extreme dysfunction and devastating circumstances, the human spirit is amazingly resilient.
Hope is more powerful than hardship.
Goodness is more potent than greed.
God is always good, and for those who sincerely seek, God will work difficult details of life together for good purposes that lead to peace even when we cannot comprehend the “WHY’S.”
There is no need for me to fret about all that is wrong in the world and to become angry about “systems” that seem to be in control because at the core of my being, even though I don’t understand the “HOW’S?” I believe these words from Scripture are true:

“We look at [Jesus] and see the God who cannot be seen …. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible … got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.” Colossians 1:15-17 (MSG)”

I’m a born and “raised-to-the-age-of-18” Montana girl, and I love returning to the site of much of my heritage.

My younger sister and I enjoyed growing up alongside cousins, neither of whom moved away from Montana. Ron’s and my recent getaway included spending time with one of those cousins and her husband. Formerly full-time farmers, they now live in a beautiful home, located on acreage near Three Forks.

Over 60 percent of Montana is farmland. When I was a youngster, many of my friends lived on a farm, and I realized at a young age I wasn’t cut out to be a farmer’s wife. My heart was full of way too much wanderlust and big-city fascination! My cousin, on the other hand, is the perfect example of a farmer’s helpmate. During an earlier visit, her only complaint about the move from their farm to a 20-acre plot of land was “the neighbors are too close.”

My cousin’s husband not only loves rural life but is also very artistic. I loved the aesthetic feel of these black-eyed Susan flowers enhancing the beauty of this old wagon.

What a stunning view! I can almost hear John Denver singing, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

The day after we visited our family was autumn-picture-perfect. Our friends suggested a trip to the ghost town of Bannack, site of gold discovery in the 1860’s and the first capital of Montana when it was a territory.