writing my journey...

The sun is just now thinking about rising. I've gotten up early to join M. in transporting 2 dogs on the last leg of their trip from Iowa to Minneapolis. One is a brindle named Sam. If it wasn't for this trip, he would be euthanized because he might be part pit bull. The operative word here is "might." Since there is a total ban on pit bulls in Sioux City, Iowa--he's been marked with the scarlet letter. Today Sam is escaping his own death.

The other dog is a yellow lab named Gunnar. Gunnar is coming from the same high-kill shelter and was also going to be euthanized because he has a heart murmur. They don't put animals with health conditions up for adoption. Lucky for Gunnar, someone at the shelter cared enough about him to send out a plea for help. Because of that woman, Gunnar is escaping his death today, too.

A couple days ago I decided that I wanted to get back to blogging. Life has gotten busy and I've had to set this space aside more than I would like to. I was thinking that I would like to return to blogging every day. I don't know if that's possible, but I am going to make an attempt to show up more often. You see, what I realized the other day is that I am in the midst of a journey. Lately I've had the sense that this particular part of the journey holds tremendous weight for me. I don't know why I feel the pull to write my thoughts and experiences down as I live them and I most certainly don't know why I feel the pull to write about it here. But I do.

This time in my life feels very significant to me. As I live from the middle of it, I cannot yet understand why. There is a single bird chirping in the half-light outside my window. It makes me think of my aunt. I feel her presence--a bittersweet sensation of loss and nearness, causing a sting of tears each time I think of her. I also hear geese flying south on a regular basis. The geese, they stop me in my tracks every time. They are a powerful reminder of home. Their migration tugs at me with same instinctual pull that they must feel. My whole life has led me to this very moment...to the peacefulness of this morning where I sit at my desk in the glow of lamplight...wondering where this day will lead me next.

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