Two Roads Divurged in a Wood and I Took the One Less Traveled By and That Has Made All The Difference

Hello From North Carolina! We traveled through Virginia for about a week, going from Winchester, New Market, Staunton, Lexington, Buchanan, Roanoke, and Floyd. Today we crossed the border into North Carolina on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and are in the small town of Sparta. We had planned to stay in a campground tonight, but there are severe thunder storms moving through so we opted for a very modest motel. Tomorrow we will be camping in Boone at the Flintlock Campground. We are shooting ( no pun intended) for Asheville, NC on Monday, and will be two nights away from our final destination by way of Cashiers and Clarksville, GA.

Alot has happened these past few days. I know the blog has been kind of lean, and I am sorry about that. I have also had technical difficulties with pics, so that is why there have been no new ones. I am posting more with this entry.

I have been reminded these past few days of the premise of the book The Road Less Traveled. It begins by saying that that life is hard. The book goes on the say that our children are best served by coming to terms with this reality, rather than as parents trying to insulate them. Our role is to equip our children for the challenges of life, not to create a trap door for them which results in temporary avoidance of life's realities. This concept has been on my mind lately because this trip is difficult. As Andy so eloquently stated several posts ago, this is virtually a 24/7 proposition (yes ok we do sleep, but even the sleep is sometimes less than restful if you are wondering whether the bears will be roaming around the camp site!). So my children are now here with me, and have signed up because they want to be supportive of their Mom. However, regardless of their generous motives, the fact remains that this is extremely challenging for them. But what better opportunity for growth than challenge? Which brings us right back to the premise of the book I mentioned above. So it has been interesting and productive these past few days to watch my children work toward adapting to a situation in which at any given moment they may find less than desirable. At the same time however, they have been witness to the kindness of strangers, the stories shared about men who have lost their wives to breast cancer and were left to raise young children alone.

I have also been reminded of the fact that anything that is truly gratifying and rewarding requires work and effort in the making. I especially want to make this point to you all because I know I have expressed so much that is joyful and beautiful. I believe it is equally important to convey that the experience of such joy and such beauty does not, can not, occur without hard work. BUT, every bit of pain, every bit of effort it TOTALLY WORTH IT. I think that is the most important lesson of all. Too many people give up when it gets hard, thinking that difficulty is a sign that they are doing something wrong. There is no substitute for hard work. This is true on this trip..........but the rewards are so disproportionate to the effort, it is dwarfed in comparison. So please don't be afraid of a little toil, and even trouble, because good fortune is just around the corner. Tough it out long enough to experience the truth of it. It is guaranteed.

So now I will post some pics. We stayed at a green hotel called the Hotel Floyd one night, and a B&B the second night. The jamboree was a hoot, and the area is beautiful. I will try to get a link to the WSLS story. Thank you all for following along.........we are at the home stretch.