I admit, the question took me by surprise. In fact, we were on the highway headed towards the grandchildren! Something she had reminded me of and anticipated for most of the past week.
A word of explanation. This was in January after we had endured a rain, ice, and snow week that had already delayed our trip for three days. And I was risking the trip on this day since the comma-shaped low pressure front indicated we would be driving into the remnants of the long tail of this storm currently crawling across the nation.
So after all the "hurry up and wait" combined with the adrenaline rush of FINALLY getting underway, it was a gut-punch to see her confusion and hear her plaintive question. "Where are we going?"
"Well, honey, you remember that we're finally on our way to see the grandkids. Hugs tonight before tucking them into bed!" No, she didn't remember. But the assurance that this moment fit into a larger, longed-for plan and that there would be joys before the day was through was enough.
She verbalized succinctly what I've been wondering. "Where are we going?" What storm are we headed into? Is this something that fixes us into a holding pattern of wanting to go somewhere but unable to leave the house? Is the forecast for the future accurate? And given the many variables along the way, how long will the journey take?
And she is probably right about the rest of it, too. No, we don't completely "get it." We have the assurance that this journey is part of a larger, longed-for plan that will end in hugs and joy... on the other side of the storm. That is our hope. That is enough for now.
Drive on.
