Country Roads, Take Me Home

When trees look like this...

...and ears of field corn turn down like this...
...and combines like this are spotted in the fields...

...it's time for a trip home.

I spent the afternoon driving back to my parents' house in Jesup, Iowa. I love going home during the fall harvest season! There's something almost spiritual in a pilgrimage home this time of year. Witnessing the gathering of another year's bountiful blessings feeds my heart and soul on a level few things do.

I used to make a point of heading home at least once every fall. My fall visits have been few and far between these last ten years, as all three kids play soccer on weekends from September to early November. Taking advantage of the long Columbus Day weekend, I traveled today so Mom and I can teach a tea class in Wellsburg tommorrow.

I refer to this room in my parents' house as the Americana Suite. It's a little piece of Midwestern Country charm. I don't know why, but even after being away for more than 20 years I still sleep better at Mom & Dad's than I do in my own home. I don't know if it's the pitch-black nights and the utter stillness of the country, or the childhood security of sleeping under the protective roof that my parents provided while I was growing up. Whatever it is, I always look forward to the deep, restful sleep that awaits me in this sanctuary.